The bill passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday by a ratio of 415 to 12 votes, the day before it was unanimously approved by the Senate.
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The so-called Juneteenth, a compound of the English terms June and nineteenth, recalls June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger brought a report on the liberation of slaves to Galveston, Texas.
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President Abraham Lincoln has decided on their equality before, in many southern states, including Texas, but this decision has not been enforced.
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“It is a day of great importance and great power, a day to commemorate the moral stain, the terrible price that slavery has demanded and continues to demand in our country,” said Biden, who also welcomed the great support the bill had received in Congress since members of both parties.
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“I hope this is the beginning of a change in our approach to how we treat each other,” the president added. When he took office in January this year, Biden pledged to work to unite American society, the AP said.
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The new holiday is the first approved since 1983, when it was decided to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, writes AP.
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