Many early Juneteenth celebrations were held outdoors beside water. Describe the riverbank before the first family arrives.Fact: Black Americans were often barred from public facilities, so they met at churches or near water.
A federal holiday is a day off for some and a workday for others. Write Juneteenth as a bus driver, a baker or a nurse sees it.Angle: who works so that others can gather? Thank them in the last line.
Later generations traveled back to Galveston for Juneteenth. Write about returning to the place where something important began.Fact: formerly enslaved people and their descendants often made a pilgrimage to Galveston.
Copies of the Juneteenth order were put up where people would see them. Write the moment one person stops in front of the paper.Fact: Wikipedia's Juneteenth article says copies were posted in public places, a church among them.
For Juneteenth, write about the word henceforward: what it promises and how long it lasts.Fact: the Emancipation Proclamation said people held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free.
The freedom Juneteenth celebrates had been promised on paper and waited for an army. Write about a promise that cannot be kept until someone arrives.Fact: the National Archives says the proclamation's freedom depended on Union military victory.
The handwritten record of the Juneteenth order still exists. Write what a visitor thinks while looking at the page.Fact: the handwritten General Order No. 3 is kept at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
Juneteenth has two other names. Write which of the three you would choose for the day, and why.Fact: the National Archives says the day is also called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. Explain the day in three sentences to someone who has never heard of it.Fact: that day an army order told the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free.
The Juneteenth order came two and a half years after freedom was proclaimed. Count back that far in your own life and write what has changed.Fact: the Emancipation Proclamation is dated January 1, 1863; the Galveston order, June 19, 1865.
The Juneteenth order holds four plain words: all slaves are free. Write about a short sentence that changes everything that comes after it.Fact: the four words are in General Order No. 3, as the National Archives prints it.
The Juneteenth order was written into a book of army orders, starting on one page and running onto the next. Write about big news set down in an ordinary book.Fact: the National Archives says the order begins on one page of the volume and continues on the next.
Later generations traveled back to Galveston for Juneteenth. Write about returning to the place where something important began.Fact: formerly enslaved people and their descendants often made a pilgrimage to Galveston.
The proclamation behind Juneteenth is five pages long and was once tied with ribbons. Write about a document that is more than its paper.Fact: its five pages were tied with narrow red and blue ribbons, the National Archives says.
Slavery did not end everywhere in the United States on June 19, 1865. Explain why Juneteenth is still the day that is kept.Fact: slavery lasted in Delaware and Kentucky until the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified December 6, 1865.
United States soldiers came ashore at Galveston the day before the Juneteenth order. Write the harbor on June 18, 1865.Fact: the general's troops had arrived in Galveston the previous day, the National Archives says.
Write a Juneteenth poem of two stanzas, one headed January 1, 1863, and one headed June 19, 1865.Fact: the first is the date of the Emancipation Proclamation, the second of the Galveston order.
Write June 20, 1865, in Galveston: the first whole day after the Juneteenth order.Angle: say what on the street is the same as yesterday, and the one thing that is not.
A celebration 15
At Juneteenth the red on the table stands for something. Write about a color that carries a meaning in your own family.Fact: red dishes and drinks, strawberry soda among them, are served; the red is for resilience and joy.
Barbecue is at the center of many Juneteenth tables. Write the cook's morning, from lighting the fire to the first plate.Fact: writers quoted in Wikipedia's article call barbecue the centerpiece of most celebrations.
Early Juneteenth gatherings had baseball, fishing and rodeos. Choose one and write the afternoon.Fact: Wikipedia's Juneteenth article names all three among the early celebrations.
Juneteenth gatherings in Texas soon drew thousands of people. Write the road to the celebration that morning.Fact: the observance was soon drawing thousands of people across Texas, the article says.
Juneteenth is often celebrated on the third Saturday in June. Write what a town does with a whole Saturday set aside.Fact: the day falls on June 19 and has often been celebrated on the third Saturday in June.
Juneteenth spread north and west as families moved. Write about a celebration that traveled in someone's suitcase.Fact: people who left the South in the Great Migration carried the celebrations across the country.
Many early Juneteenth celebrations were held outdoors beside water. Describe the riverbank before the first family arrives.Fact: Black Americans were often barred from public facilities, so they met at churches or near water.
Many Juneteenth celebrations teach as well as feast. Write the label for one object in a Juneteenth exhibition.Fact: celebrations often include lectures and exhibitions on African American culture.
People came to early Juneteenth celebrations in their best clothes. Write about getting dressed for a day that matters.Fact: early celebrations were known for large meals and for people wearing their best clothing.
Some Juneteenth celebrations have a table where adults can sign up to vote. Write why that table belongs at the party.Fact: Wikipedia's article says celebrations are commonly accompanied by voter registration efforts.
When parks were closed to them, freed people in Texas saved together and bought land for Juneteenth. Write the meeting where the idea is first said aloud.Fact: across parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to buy land for their celebrations.
Write a Juneteenth park party from the point of view of the park.Fact: park parties, picnics and cookouts are all among the ways the day is celebrated now.
Write the announcer's welcome at a Juneteenth rodeo.Fact: rodeos were part of the early celebrations and are still held for the day.
Write the first Juneteenth anniversary: June 19, 1866, at a church gathering in Texas.Fact: the earliest celebrations, in 1866, were community gatherings centered on churches.
Write the sound of a whole crowd singing the same song at a Juneteenth gathering, as heard from the back row.Fact: singing traditional songs is one of the day's customs, Wikipedia's Juneteenth article says.
Freedom in my own words 15
The curve across the Juneteenth flag is a horizon. Write about standing where you can watch a new day begin.Fact: the red curve represents a horizon and a new era, Wikipedia's Juneteenth article says.
For Juneteenth, finish this sentence three ways: Because I am free, I should...Angle: one answer for home, one for school and one for a stranger.
For Juneteenth, write your own definition of freedom in one sentence, then a second sentence that makes it harder.Angle: the second sentence starts with But.
The Juneteenth flag has a star with a burst around it. Write what you would put at the center of a flag about freedom.Fact: the burst around the flag's star represents a nova, Wikipedia's Juneteenth article says.
The Juneteenth flag uses the same three colors as the flag of the United States. Write what that choice says.Fact: the colors show that African Americans and their enslaved ancestors are Americans.
The Juneteenth order spoke of an absolute equality of personal rights. Write what equal rights look like in one ordinary room.Fact: the phrase is in General Order No. 3, as the National Archives prints it.
The official name of Juneteenth has the word Independence in it. Write the difference between independence and freedom.Fact: the holiday is officially named Juneteenth National Independence Day.
What would the people who first celebrated Juneteenth in 1866 want you to do with the day? Write your answer.Angle: rest, eat, learn, sing, remember. Choose two and say why.
Write a Juneteenth acrostic with one line for each letter of FREEDOM.Angle: each line begins with its letter. Make the M line about what comes next.
Write a Juneteenth letter to someone who was a child on June 19, 1865, telling them one thing about the country today.Angle: choose something they would be glad to hear, and say honestly what still needs work.
Write a Juneteenth poem in which the word free is in every line and means something a little different each time.Angle: free to, free from, free with. Four lines are enough.
Write a one-page book that explains Juneteenth to a six-year-old.Angle: three facts, one picture described in words and no word harder than freedom.
Write a thank-you to the people who kept Juneteenth going for more than 150 years before it was a national holiday.Fact: ordinary African Americans created, preserved and spread the day, the article says.
Write two Juneteenth headlines: one for June 19, 1865, and one for June 19 of this year.Angle: put one above the other. What does the space between them hold?
You are asked to open a Juneteenth gathering in your town. Write the one-minute speech.Angle: say what the day remembers, thank someone and end on the food.
The newest federal holiday 15
A federal holiday is a day off for some and a workday for others. Write Juneteenth as a bus driver, a baker or a nurse sees it.Angle: who works so that others can gather? Thank them in the last line.
From the Galveston order to the federal holiday is 156 years. Write a Juneteenth timeline of five moments, one sentence each.Fact: order, 1865; first celebration, 1866; the name, 1890s; Texas holiday, 1980; federal law, 2021.
The House voted 415 to 14 for the Juneteenth holiday. Write one member's reasons for voting yes, in a speech of one minute.Fact: the House of Representatives passed the bill on June 16, 2021.
Hundreds of cities kept Juneteenth before it was a national holiday. Write a town's celebration the year before it was official.Fact: by 2006 at least 200 cities across the United States celebrated the day.
Juneteenth began in one state and is now recognized in all fifty. Write how an idea spreads from one place to a whole country.Fact: every state and the District of Columbia has formally recognized the holiday in some way.
Juneteenth is the eleventh federal holiday. List as many of the other ten as you can, then write which one it is most like.Fact: it became the eleventh federal holiday when the law was signed in 2021.
Juneteenth is tied to a date, not to a Monday. Write why June 19 itself matters.Fact: it is one of five federal holidays kept on a fixed date; July 4 is another.
Juneteenth was the first new federal holiday since 1983. Write what a country shows by the days it gives off.Fact: Wikipedia's Juneteenth article says it was the first federal holiday adopted since 1983.
The law that made Juneteenth a federal holiday was signed two days before the day itself. Write that first national Juneteenth.Fact: the law was signed on June 17, 2021, a note on the National Archives page says.
Many schools are already out for summer on June 19. Write how you would mark Juneteenth with no classroom to do it in.Angle: at a park, at a table, with one book or one question for an older person.
People asked Congress for a Juneteenth holiday for many years. Write a letter asking a lawmaker for something that will take a long time.Fact: the first bill in Congress to recognize the day was introduced in 1996.
Post offices and banks close on Juneteenth. Write the sign for the door that explains why, in thirty words.Fact: post offices, banks and most government offices close for the day.
The Senate agreed to the Juneteenth holiday without a single no. Write about a time a whole group agreed, and how rare that is.Fact: the Senate passed the bill unanimously on June 15, 2021.
Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday long before the country did. Write a letter from Texas to the other states, dated 1980.Fact: the Texas law passed in 1979, and the state holiday began on January 1, 1980.
When June 19 lands on a weekend, the day off for Juneteenth moves. Argue it: is a holiday the date or the day off?Fact: federal workers get the nearest Friday or Monday when the date is a Saturday or Sunday.
How it works
Most of these Juneteenth writing prompts have a fact under them, from the National Archives or from Wikipedia's Juneteenth article, so a writer starts from what happened and not from a guess.
Read the full guide
What happened on June 19, 1865
The National Archives says a Union general issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, that day, informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free. It came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Fifteen prompts begin there.
How the day is kept
Freed people in Texas held the first anniversary celebration in 1866. Early celebrations had large meals, best clothes, baseball and fishing; today's have cookouts, park parties and red food and drink. Each celebration prompt takes one of these.
Read the fact line first. Then write from one person's place in it: at the harbor, at the table, in the crowd.
Questions and answers
What is a good Juneteenth writing prompt?
One with a fact to stand on. Write the first Juneteenth anniversary, June 19, 1866, at a church gathering in Texas. Or write why a table where adults can sign up to vote belongs at the party.
What is Juneteenth?
A federal holiday on June 19. The National Archives calls it the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, and says it is also called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. The name joins June and nineteenth.
When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?
In 2021. The Senate passed the bill on June 15, the House on June 16 by 415 votes to 14, and it was signed on June 17. Wikipedia's Juneteenth article counts it as the eleventh federal holiday.
Are these Juneteenth writing prompts for kids?
Yes. They say plainly that people were enslaved and were freed, and they ask for letters, poems, speeches and scenes of celebration. No prompt asks a writer to play a person who was enslaved, and none names a living person.