Beyond Juneteenth ~ A Timeline to Freedom

The American Civil War (1861–1865) erupted primarily over the question of slavery and its expansion into new territories. As Southern states seceded from the Union to protect their economies and way of life—both of which depended on enslaved labor—the federal government under President Abraham Lincoln resolved to preserve the Union at all costs.

Though initially hesitant to frame the conflict solely around slavery, the war’s progression and the resistance of enslaved people forced the issue to the forefront. “The Emancipation Proclamation,” issued in 1863, transformed the war into a direct fight against slavery, giving moral weight to the Union’s cause and allowed for the enlistment of Black soldiers.

The enslaved population was ultimately freed through a combination of military conquest, executive order, and constitutional change.

As Union forces swept through the South, they brought emancipation with them. Emancipation came through the enforcement of “The Emancipation Proclamation” in rebel territories, and later through state actions and federal legislation. The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress in January 1865 and certified in December of the same year. This amendment to the U.S Constitution legally abolished slavery across the entire nation.

The path to emancipation was uneven and complex, with freedom arriving at different times depending on the progress of the Union armies, local resistance, and political developments—culminating in the now-celebrated arrival of emancipation in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, a holiday now known as Juneteenth.

Timeline to Freedom:

After the Emancipation Proclamation was ordered on Thursday, January 1, 1863, the long road to freedom across the continent began. The below timelines illustrate that journey through three different lenses: the Confederate States, the Border States, and Federal abolition, starting at Lincoln’s proclamation and ending with the Federal ratification and certification of the 13th Amendment.
Emancipation Proclamation

National Emancipation is ordered, transforming the war into a direct fight against slavery.

🔊 Abraham Lincoln: “All persons held as slaves within any State... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

Read MoreThursday, January 1, 1863
Confederate States:

See a state-by-state timeline of Emancipation below, ending with the June 19, 1865 announcement in Galveston, Texas, which is widely acknowledged as the final end to slavery in the United States.

Louisiana

🛡️ New Orleans captured (Apr 25, 1862) by Farragut & Butler
⚔️ Union-aligned constitution abolished slavery in areas under control

Thursday, July 7, 1864
Tennessee

🛡️ Union Control: Nashville fell early (Feb 25, 1862)
⚔️ Battle of Nashville (Dec 1864) ensured dominance

Wednesday, January 11, 1865
South Carolina

🛡️ Charleston surrendered to Union General Alexander Schimmelfennig at the site of Civil War's start, Fort Sumter

Saturday, February 18, 1865
Virginia

🛡️Richmond falls: Monday, April 3, 1865 (Union led by General Weitzel)

🛡️Robert E. Lee surrenders: Sunday, April 9, 1865 (to Grant at Appomattox)

April 3-9, 1865
Georgia

🛡️ Confederate General Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman at Bennett Place
⚔️ Sherman's March to the Sea (late 1864) destroyed Confederate infrastructure

Wednesday, April 26, 1865
North Carolina

🛡️ Included in Johnston's surrender to Sherman

️ Wednesday, April 26, 1865
Alabama

🛡️ Same surrender as Mississippi
⚔️ Battle of Fort Blakely (April 9, 1865)

Thursday, May 4, 1865
Mississippi

🛡️ Confederate General Taylor surrendered to Union Major General Canby at Citronelle, AL
⚔️ Battle of Vicksburg (July 4, 1863) secured river access

Thursday, May 4, 1865
Florida

🛡️ Union General Edward McCook announced emancipation in Tallahassee

Saturday, May 20, 1865
Arkansas

🛡️ Confederate General Kirby Smith surrendered to Union Major General Edward Canby
⚔ Trans-Mississippi surrender

Friday, May 26, 1865
Texas

🛡️ Gen. Gordon Granger issues General Order No. 3 in Galveston
🔊 “The people of Texas are informed that... all slaves are free.”

Read MoreMonday, June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth)
Border States (Not Covered in Proclamation)

Border States were slave-states that shared a border with the free states during the Civil War. These slave-holding states did not support Abraham Lincoln, however, they did believe in a strong federal union and did not secede with the rest of the Confederate states.

In a strategic move to keep these geographically important states aligned with the Union, Lincoln did not abolish slavery in these five states in his 1863 proclamation. The timeline below illustrates how and when the border states abolished slavery.

Maryland

Slavery abolished via new state constitution

Read MoreTuesday, November 1, 1864
Missouri

Abolished slavery by state convention

Read MoreWednesday, January 11, 1865
West Virginia

Gradual emancipation law enacted -- abolition formally came in February 1865, via both state law and the state’s ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Read MoreFriday, February 3, 1865
Kentucky & Delaware

Slavery abolished via the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Read More️ Monday, December 18, 1865
Federal Action: 13th Amendment

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution officially abolished slavery in all states. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

The below timeline illustrates how and when the 13th Amendment was passed, ratified, and adopted.

Passed by Congress

Emancipation become national policy when the 13th Amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865.

Tuesday, January 31, 1865
Ratified by 3/4 States

On December 6, 1865, slavery throughout the United States became illegal when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

On December 6, 1865
Certified and Adopted

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Monday, December 18, 1865
These timelines present not only the path to freedom, but the layered and state-specific journey of emancipation across the divided United States, culminating in constitutional abolition and Juneteenth’s enduring legacy.

The emancipation of millions of formerly enslaved people marked the beginning of a long and difficult road toward justice and equality in the United States. In the aftermath of the Civil War, many freed persons faced intense backlash as Southern states implemented Black Codes, restricting civil rights and economic opportunity. The promise of land, education, and full citizenship often went unfulfilled. Violence from white supremacist groups and institutionalized racism through policies like sharecropping and segregation limited their gains.

Yet, the newly freed population also achieved powerful victories.

They built churches, founded schools, ran for public office, and created a rich cultural and intellectual legacy that would influence American life for generations. The Reconstruction period saw the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments, guaranteeing citizenship and voting rights to Black men. Though Reconstruction was eventually dismantled, the resilience and determination of freedpeople laid the groundwork for the civil rights struggles that would follow a century later.