Juneteenth: How news of the Emancipation Proclamation spread through the South (opens original article in a new tab)

Juneteenth marks the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the South, with many enslaved people learning about it through informal means during the Civil War.

• Some enslaved people did not know about the Emancipation Proclamation
• Many learned about it through informal networks, rumors, and slaveholders during ongoing fighting