Short for “June Nineteenth,” the holiday marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, on June 19, 1865, History.com says. The troops arrived with the news a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the proclamation.

Stacker examined historical documentation to explore Juneteenth's history and significance and to confute the most egregious misinformation about it.