New Spotlight Page: Juneteenth

We are very pleased to announce a Spotlight Page curating articles from across the Oxford Bibliographies program relating to Juneteenth.

In 2021, following a tumultuous year of social protest against systemic racism triggered by the murder of George Floyd, the United States Congress officially declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, starting on June 19, 2021, through the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Celebrated sporadically since the Civil War, the date commemorates the military order, issued by the Union Army on June 19, 1865, that formally ended the institution of slavery in the state of Texas. Since then, Juneteenth has become a celebration of not only the emancipation of slaves, but also the creativity and resilience of African American culture that emerged during slavery and evolved afterward. Juneteenth thus has served as an inspiration for the civil rights activism stretching from antebellum abolitionism to the recent Black Lives Matter movement.

This page features a curated selection of annotated bibliographies from existing subject areas in Oxford Bibliographies that address the history, perpetuation, and afterlives of slavery; the political movements and leaders that fought to emancipate enslaved African Americans and enfranchise them and their descendants; and how the racial concepts of slavery, freedom, and franchise have been understood across centuries of American law, society, and culture. The articles featured on this page are freely available to read, and other articles will be made available on a rotating basis.

Visit the Juneteenth spotlight page to read 14 articles that are currently freely available to read.