AP African American Studies Flashcards: Freedom Days: Commemorating the Ongoing Struggle for Freedom
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 19 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the Thirteenth Amendment?
The constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that secured the permanent abolition of slavery in the United States, except as a punishment for a crime.
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What is the Thirteenth Amendment?
The constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that secured the permanent abolition of slavery in the United States, except as a punishment for a crime.
How does the 1827 celebration in New York relate to Juneteenth?
It shows that Juneteenth is part of a long history of African American communities commemorating local Freedom Days, which predates the Civil War.
How did the Thirteenth Amendment complete the process of ending legal enslavement?
It extended abolition to the entire United States, including the border states where the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply, freeing a total of four million African Americans.
What aspect of community and self-validation do Freedom Days celebrate?
They celebrate African Americans’ commitment to seeking joy and validation among themselves, despite the nation’s belated recognition of these historical moments.
What was a significant limitation of the 1866 treaties that freed enslaved people in Indian Territory?
The treaties did not grant the freed men rights as tribal citizens.
How did people celebrate the earliest Juneteenths?
Celebrations included singing spirituals, wearing new clothing to symbolize freedom, feasting, and dancing.
How was legal slavery ended in Indian Territory?
The United States government negotiated treaties with Indigenous nations in 1866 to end legal slavery in these territories.
Why didn't the Emancipation Proclamation end all legal enslavement in the U.S.?
It was a wartime order that only applied to Confederate states in rebellion, not to the four border states that remained in the Union.
To what group of enslaved people did the Thirteenth Amendment not apply?
It did not apply to the nearly 10,000 African Americans enslaved by Indigenous nations in Indian Territory.
What ancestral role do Freedom Days commemorate?
They commemorate African Americans’ ancestors’ roles in the long struggle to end legal enslavement in the United States.
What is Juneteenth?
A holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom by Union forces, marking the end of slavery in the last state of rebellion.
Place these events in chronological order: Juneteenth, Ratification of the 13th Amendment, Emancipation Proclamation.
1. Emancipation Proclamation (1863), 2. Ratification of the 13th Amendment (1865), 3. Juneteenth (June 19, 1865).
What were some alternative names for early Juneteenth celebrations?
Early celebrations of Juneteenth were also called Jubilee Day and Emancipation Day.
What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
A wartime order issued in 1863 that declared freedom for enslaved people held in the Confederate states still at war against the Union.
Beyond the end of slavery, what ongoing struggle do Freedom Days commemorate?
They commemorate the postslavery embrace of a fraught freedom and the active, ongoing struggles for equal rights, protections, and opportunities.
What is the historical significance of General Order No. 3?
It was the order read in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that informed enslaved people of their freedom and was the first document to mention racial equality through “an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property”.
What are Freedom Days?
Local commemorations celebrated by African American communities to mark the end of slavery, with a history dating back to at least 1827.
What does the text identify as the 'monumental first step' toward freedom and justice for African Americans?
The ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which permanently abolished slavery, is described as this monumental first step.
When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?
Over 150 years after its first celebration, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.