By: Richard L. Smith
The Englewood Library will host a virtual presentation titled The History of Emancipation and Juneteenth on Wednesday, June 11 at 7 p.m., offering participants an in-depth look at the events that led to the end of slavery in the United States.
The program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required at bccls.libcal.com/event/14140849. 
A Zoom link will be emailed two hours before the event begins.
According to a statement released by Englewood officials, historian Christopher Daley will guide attendees through a timeline of critical developments in the path toward emancipation.
Topics include the abolitionist movement, the impact of President Abraham Lincoln’s election, early emancipation efforts by generals like Fremont and Hunter, and General Benjamin Butler’s “Contraband of War” policy.
Daley will also examine the Emancipation Proclamation—its release, the political circumstances surrounding it, and its immediate and long-term effects.
The discussion will extend to how federal troops helped free enslaved individuals as they advanced through Confederate territories.
The program will conclude with the arrival of Union forces in Texas and the reading of General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865, which informed the last group of enslaved people of their freedom.
Daley will also explain how that moment became the foundation for what is now celebrated as Juneteenth, a federal holiday.
This event is sponsored by The Friends of the Englewood Library.