Skip to main content

What is Juneteenth, and why is it important? - Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio

517,245 Views

4,122 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

At the end of the Civil War, though slavery was technically illegal in all states, it still persisted in the last bastions of the Confederacy. This was the case when Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas on June 19th and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free. Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio dig into the history of Juneteenth.

The historical record typically presents the ending of chattel slavery in the United States as the moral accomplishment of one man, Abraham Lincoln. Yet enslaved people had been rebelling against the institution of slavery for hundreds of years––by escaping, breaking tools, staging rebellions, and more. How could the story of slavery’s abolishment be broadened to include the voices and actions of the people who collectively resisted enslavement since the beginning?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Karlos K. Hill, Soraya Field Fiorio
  • Director Rémi Cans, Atypicalist
  • Narrator Christina Greer
  • Animator Dabid Pascual
  • Art Director Marine Hennes
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Composer Jarrett Farkas
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

More from Things They Don't Teach in School But Should