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This list looks at the history and meaning of Juneteenth, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they were free on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It explores why the news took so long to reach Texas and the role General Gordon Granger played in delivering General Order No. 3. The list features primary sources, personal stories, and historical images that bring this important moment to life.
The Civil War ended in the summer of 1865. Union General Gordon Granger and his troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to announce General Order No. 3 on June...
Through the generous support of The Boeing Company, the Emancipation Proclamation will be on display annually at the National Archives through 2028.
A primary source is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under study.
Join the museum’s Juneteenth celebration during the entire month of June and embrace the rich history of Freedom Day each week.
Texas Observes Juneteenth Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is the name given to Emancipation Day by African Americans in Texas. On that day in 1865 Union Major-General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 to the people of Galveston. It stated:
An image of the Union general who issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston.
The handwritten order that proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas.
Martha Yates Jones (left) and Pinkie Yates (right), daughters of Rev. Jack Yates, in a decorated carriage parked in front of the Antioch Baptist Church located in Houston's Fourth Ward, 1908
Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official on January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops present to enforce the new Executive Order.
