Why did the Emancipation Proclamation change little in Texas at first?
Basic Understanding of a Variety of Texts · TELPAS Grades 6–7 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find the main idea and key details, and follow what happens in stories and informational texts.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions.
Juneteenth
On January 1, 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It declared that enslaved people in the states fighting against the United States were free. In Texas, however, the order changed very little at first. Few Union soldiers were in Texas to enforce it, and many enslaved people never heard about it.
The war ended in the spring of 1865. On June 19, 1865, in the port city of Galveston, Union General Gordon Granger announced an order stating that all enslaved people in Texas were free. The news came about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The next year, freed people in Texas began celebrating June 19 as a day of freedom. They called it Juneteenth, a blend of the words June and nineteenth. Early celebrations included prayer, speeches, music, and large outdoor meals. Some communities raised money to buy land where they could gather for the celebrations, such as Emancipation Park in Houston.
As families moved from Texas to other states, they took the holiday with them. In 1980, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday. In 2021, it became a federal holiday celebrated across the United States.
Today, Juneteenth is marked with parades, festivals, and family gatherings. For many people, it is also a day to learn about history and to remember that freedom did not reach everyone at the same time.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why did the Emancipation Proclamation change little in Texas at first?
- Texas was not taking part in the Civil War.
- Texas had already ended slavery on its own, years before 1863.
- The order applied only to the city of Galveston.
- Few soldiers could carry it out, and news spread slowly.Correct answer
Why “Few soldiers could carry it out, and news spread slowly.” is correct
This tests finding a stated reason in an informational text. Paragraph 1 gives two reasons: few Union soldiers were in Texas, and many enslaved people never heard about the order. The correct answer combines both in different words.
Why the other answers are wrong
- Texas was not taking part in the Civil War. — Texas was one of the states fighting against the United States, which is why the order applied there.
- Texas had already ended slavery on its own, years before 1863. — Slavery in Texas ended with the 1865 order in Galveston.
- The order applied only to the city of Galveston. — The 1865 announcement was made in Galveston, but it covered all of Texas.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grades 6–7, or see the TELPAS practice test for 6th and 7th grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.