June 16 – 19

In celebration of the first official Massachusetts Juneteenth celebration, the Commonwealth Museum presents "Juneteenth: Enslavement to Emancipation." This special exhibit will open Wednesday, June 16th and will run through June 19th. 

To celebrate the holiday, the Commonwealth Museum will have special Saturday hours on June 19th from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

"Juneteenth: Enslavement to Emancipation" is an exhibit that examines in broad form the institution of slavery in our Commonwealth, from its Colonial origins to its eventual abolition. Through the lens of original source records held by the Massachusetts Archives, this exhibit places a focus on Black agency and highlights the struggle and sacrifice of those who labored so long and so hard that we might today celebrate slavery's extinction.

On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army issued General Order No. 3 to the people of Texas. Delivered in the city of Galveston, the Order proclaimed that, "in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free." The following year freedmen in Texas organized the first observance of that event as a day of Jubilee. Today, June 19th is recognized throughout the United States as the day we celebrate the ending of slavery through an emphasis on education, understanding, and achievement.

Watch Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin tell WCVB's CityLine about the special Juneteenth exhibit.

Below is a list of the historic documents that will be on display:

• The General Laws and Liberties of the Massachusetts Colony: Revised and Reprinted, containing text of the first law regulating slavery in British North America, 1641
  SC1/series 2519x
• "An Act for the better preventing of a Spurious and Mixt issue," prohibiting marriages between Black and white residents of Massachusetts, December 5, 1705
  Engrossed Acts (SC7/series 207), Acts 1705/6, c. 10
• "List of the Servants for Life within the Town of Marshfield," December 2, 1754
  Returns of the enumeration of enslaved people in Massachusetts, 1754 (SC1/series 209x)
• Petition of Prince Hall and others, asking for the abolition of slavery, January 1777
  Massachusetts Archives Collection (SC1/series 45x), v. 212, p. 132
• Muster roll of Revolutionary soldiers at Valley Forge, including Salem Poor, May 1778
  Revolutionary Rolls (SC1/series 57x), v. 61, p. 28
• Documents from Quock Walker's "Freedom Suit," including the original bill of sale for Quock Walker and his family, 1754, and the jury's verdict in the case, 1781
  Worcester County Court of Common Pleas file papers, Massachusetts SJC Archives
• Documents from Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman's "Freedom Suit," 1781
  Berkshire County Court of Common Pleas file papers, Massachusetts SJC Archives
• Petition calling for the repeal of miscegenation laws, with signatures of Frederick Douglass, William Cooper Nell, Wendell Phillips, and William Lloyd Garrison, 1842
  House Unpassed Legislation (SC1/series 230), no. 1153
• An Act prohibiting judges and other officials from helping to return fugitive slaves
  Passed Acts (SC1/series 229), Acts 1843, c. 69
• Resolve in approval of President Lincoln's message recommending the abolition of slavery, April 4, 1862
  Passed Resolves (SC1/series 228), Resolves 1862, c. 39
• General order of the Massachusetts Adjutant General announcing the Emancipation Proclamation, January 2, 1863
  General Orders, 1786-1909 (PS1/series 2837x)
• Newspaper clip containing text of the Emancipation Proclamation, January 1863 Executive Letters (GO1/series 567x), v. W147, p. 10
• Letter from Frederick Douglass describing his efforts to recruit African American
  soldiers during the Civil War, March 1863
  Executive Letters (GO1/series 567x), v. 57a, p. 103
• Descriptive list of recruits for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, March 1863
  Records relating the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment
• List of casualties in the assault on Fort Wagner, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, July 18, 1863
  Records relating the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment
• Certificate from Secretary of State William H. Seward transmitting a copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for ratification, February 1865
  Governor's Council Files (GC3/series 378)
• Act ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, February 8, 1865. Massachusetts was the 11th state to ratify the amendment.
  Engrossed Acts (SC7/series 207), Acts 1865, c. 11