federal holiday

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally endorsed the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations began within days: parades and public readings, bonfires and candles and the firing of 13 musket rounds, one for each of the original states. Nearly a century passed before the country officially named its founding a holiday. With the recent passage […]

Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, thanks to a new bill signed by President Biden on Thursday. The holiday marks June 19, 1865 when some of the last slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas. That was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Celebrations have been taking place since the law was signed. January 1, 1863 […]