Juneteenth Celebration

Experience History Aboard the Amistad

June 8 - 15, 2026

BHTNH is thrilled to invite you and your students (grades 4-12) to a once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity: the Amistad’s first-ever visit to New Hampshire! This historic replica of the famed 19th century vessel will be at Peirce Island in Portsmouth offering guided tours, interactive learning sessions, and teacher seminars.

A Ship with a Story

In 1839, Mende captives from Sierra Leone took control of the
ship transporting them to slavery. Unable to navigate back to Africa, the ship was captured and towed into the port of New London, Connecticut. Faced with slavery or execution, the Mende found their cause championed by many residents throughout Connecticut. U.S. Circuit and District courts ruled in favor of the Mende. A decision upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841 led to the captives’ release.

Juneteenth Celebration

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the oldest known nationally celebrated event commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves of the states in rebellion against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” However, it was not until June 19th, 1865, two years later, when the U.S. Army took possession of Galveston Island in Texas and began a campaign against the defenders of slavery, that the enslaved people in Galveston could begin their journey towards freedom.