General Order No. 3 and Juneteenth

General Order No. 3 was issued in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. It told the people of Texas that "all slaves are free." The day is remembered as Juneteenth, and in 2021 it became a federal holiday.

The order

The order was read in Galveston by Union General Gordon Granger. It announced that, in accordance with a proclamation from the President of the United States, all slaves were free. It also told formerly enslaved people to remain at their homes and work for wages, and warned that they would not be supported in idleness. The original is held by the National Archives in the records of the Adjutant General's Office.

Why Texas heard last

President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863 and declared people held in the Confederate states free. Texas was the westernmost Confederate state and had a small Union Army presence, so enslavers there ignored the proclamation for more than two years. General Order No. 3 brought the news and enforcement to Galveston. Six months later, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery across the country.

Juneteenth today

Juneteenth commemorates the day General Order No. 3 was announced in Galveston. It was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

References

1. General Order No. 3, June 19, 1865, National Archives.
2. Juneteenth, National Park Service.