Juneteenth
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122 free Juneteenth trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
75 free Juneteenth trivia questions with answers. Test your knowledge of Juneteenth, the historic celebration marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. This 122-question trivia quiz covers the holiday's origins, historical significance, cultural traditions, and modern-day celebrations. Whether you're a history enthusiast or looking to learn more about this important commemoration, see how much you know about Juneteenth.
30 of 122 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Before the name Juneteenth caught on, what did Texas freedmen call their June 19 commemoration?
Jubilee Day
Early Texas freedmen called June 19 Jubilee Day; the first annual commemoration was organized in 1866, a year after the Galveston announcement.
Q 02Roughly how many federal troops had landed in Texas when the Union commander reached Galveston in June 1865?
More than 2,000
Granger landed at Galveston in June 1865 with more than 2,000 federal troops to occupy Texas, enforce emancipation and nullify the Confederate legislature's wartime laws.
Q 03Which U.S. general arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to announce the freedom of enslaved people?
Gordon Granger
Major General Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and issued General Order No. 3, declaring all enslaved people free.
Q 04How long after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect did the 1865 Galveston announcement come?
900 days
General Order No. 3, read in Galveston on June 19, 1865, came 900 days, nearly two and a half years, after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
Q 05Juneteenth is a portmanteau of which two words?
June and nineteenth
Juneteenth blends June and nineteenth, the date in 1865 when General Order No. 3 announced emancipation in Galveston, Texas.
Q 06In what year did Juneteenth become a federal holiday in the United States?
2021
The 2021 bill cleared both chambers of Congress in mid-June and was signed into law the same week, so federal workers observed the new holiday days later.
Q 07Which U.S. President signed the bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday?
Joe Biden
Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth federal holiday bill in June 2021 with Opal Lee at his side, and federal employees observed the new holiday that same week.
Q 08Before Juneteenth, what was the most recent federal holiday established in the United States?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honouring the civil rights leader born in 1929, was the last federal holiday created before Juneteenth; nearly four decades separated the two.
Q 09Which color is traditional at Juneteenth celebrations, especially in food and drink?
Red
Red is the signature Juneteenth colour; red foods and drinks fill celebration tables as a symbol of resilience and of the blood shed by the enslaved.
Q 10Whose posthumously published 1999 novel, titled Juneteenth, boosted recognition of the holiday?
Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison's second novel, Juneteenth, was assembled from his unfinished manuscripts and published in 1999, five years after his death.
Q 11Why did the Emancipation Proclamation not immediately free all enslaved people in Texas?
Few Union troops were present to enforce it
Enforcement generally relied on the advance of Union troops, and their presence in Texas was low as the war ended.
Q 12Which activist, the 'grandmother of Juneteenth', led walks for decades to make it a federal holiday?
Opal Lee
Opal Lee, a retired Fort Worth teacher, campaigned for years for the holiday and stood beside President Biden when the bill was signed in 2021.
Q 13The first Juneteenth celebrations, from 1866, were mainly organized around what type of gatherings?
Q 21Which of these phrases is sometimes used to describe Juneteenth's significance for Black Americans?
America's second Independence Day
Juneteenth is often called America's second Independence Day, marking June 19, 1865, when General Order No. 3 announced freedom in Texas.
Q 22The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was issued in what month of 1862?
September
President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.
Q 23Early Juneteenth celebrations were characterized by elaborate large meals and people wearing what?
Their best clothing
Church-centered events
Early Juneteenth celebrations, dating back to 1866, at first involved church-centered community gatherings in Texas.
Q 14Roughly how many of the 4,000,000 enslaved people in the US did the Emancipation Proclamation apply to?
More than 3.5 million
More than 3.5 million, as a war measure that also opened the way for Black men to enlist in the Union army.
Q 15When was the Emancipation Proclamation officially issued by President Abraham Lincoln?
January 1, 1863
President Abraham Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
Q 16Which major event in American history led to the spread of Juneteenth celebrations beyond Texas?
The Great Migration
As Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country during the Great Migration, they brought Juneteenth traditions with them, spreading the celebration.
Q 17By what vote did the House pass the 2021 Juneteenth federal holiday bill?
415-14
The House passed the bill 415-14 on June 16, 2021; all 14 no votes came from Republicans.
Q 18Which of these drinks is traditionally served, along with other red foods, at Juneteenth celebrations?
Strawberry soda
Strawberry soda is the classic Juneteenth drink, served alongside other red foods; the colour stands for resilience and the blood shed by enslaved ancestors.
Q 19Texas's Juneteenth state holiday officially took effect on January 1 of which year?
1980
Texas's law making Juneteenth a paid state holiday took effect on January 1, 1980; Texas was the first state to recognise the date by statute.
Q 20Which of these was a pastime of early Juneteenth celebrations, alongside baseball and fishing?
Rodeos
Rodeos were a fixture of early Juneteenth gatherings alongside baseball, fishing and cookouts; historian Mitch Kachun says such celebrations aim to celebrate, educate and agitate.
Freed people dressed in their best clothing for early Juneteenth gatherings, alongside elaborate meals and pilgrimages to Galveston, where the announcement was first made.
Q 24In which Texas city was Emancipation Park founded in 1872 for Juneteenth celebrations?
Houston
Emancipation Park was established in Houston in 1872 after Black leaders raised funds to purchase land specifically for Juneteenth celebrations.
Q 25What often-red beverage with West African origins is a traditional part of Juneteenth celebrations?
Hibiscus tea
Hibiscus tea, brewed from dried flowers West Africans call bissap, is a Juneteenth staple; descendants of the enslaved in the Caribbean know the drink as sorrel.
Q 26General Order No. 3 said former masters and slaves would relate as whom?
Employer and hired labor
The order declared the connection between former masters and slaves 'becomes that between employer and hired labor', told freedmen to stay home and work for wages, and warned against idleness.
Q 27Which state kept slavery past Juneteenth, until the 13th Amendment's ratification?
Delaware
Delaware rejected the 13th Amendment in February 1865 and kept slavery legal until the amendment's ratification that December ended it.
Q 28In the early 20th century, which of these contributed to a decline in Juneteenth celebrations?
The Great Depression
The Great Depression pushed Black families off farms into cities where employers rarely gave June 19 off, and Jim Crow disenfranchisement further marginalised the celebrations.
Q 29In 1968 the SCLC made June 19 the 'Solidarity Day' of which mobilisation to Washington, DC?
The Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign, planned by Martin Luther King Jr. and carried on by Ralph Abernathy after his death, held its Solidarity Day rally in Washington on June 19, 1968.
Q 30In which year was the date 'June 19, 1865' added to the Juneteenth flag design?
2007
The date June 19, 1865 was added to the flag in 2007; the flag itself dates from 1997 and was first flown at Boston's Roxbury Heritage State Park in 2000.