Many people are familiar with the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 executive order that freed enslaved African Americans in Confederate states. But did you know that we celebrate Juneteenth on the day we do-–June 19—because of a different document?

Ahead of this week’s Juneteenth holiday, let’s take a closer look at General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free.

Changing the Character of the Civil War

Initially, the Union (the “North”) fought the Civil War to prevent the secession of the Confederacy (the “South”) from the United States, which was composed of the federal government and the states that remained loyal to it. Then President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, forever changing the character and legacy of the war. 

The Emancipation Proclamation stated that as of January 1, 1863, enslaved people held in areas still in rebellion “are and henceforward shall be free.” With this proclamation, President Lincoln hoped to inspire all Black people, and enslaved people in the Confederacy in particular, to join the Union Army. The Lincoln administration promised to provide equal pay for Black soldiers and equal protection for Black prisoners of war, as detailed on the recruitment poster below. By the end of the war, nearly 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union as part of the “United States Colored Troops.”

Recruitment poster directed at Black men during the Civil War (Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94)

United States Colored Troops at Port Hudson, Louisiana, 1864

While the Emancipation Proclamation was a critical step in the right direction, it did not end slavery, and its reach was limited. It only applied to the Confederate states, leaving out countless enslaved men, women, and children in parts of the Confederacy already under Northern control and in the loyal border states. Furthermore, news of the proclamation was slow to reach those in Confederate states, and in other places, slaveholders hid the news to preserve slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863

Two and a half years later, and two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered in 1865, the news that all enslaved people were free had not yet reached Texas. But then U.S. Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with more than 2,000 troops and issued General Order No. 3, enforcing the end of slavery. General Order No. 3 was issued on June 19, 1865, on the anniversary that became known as Juneteenth—a combination of June and 19th.

U.S. Major General Gordon Granger

General Order No. 3, 1865

General Order No. 3 states: 

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

While General Order No. 3 was groundbreaking, the last two sentences of the order foreshadowed the struggle for fair treatment and eventually led to the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, which ended slavery in all states; the 14th Amendment in 1868, which provided citizenship, due process, and equal protection to all persons born or naturalized in the United States; and the 15th Amendment in 1870, which gave Black men the opportunity to vote and hold office.

Juneteenth celebration at Emancipation Park, ca. 1880s, courtesy of the  African American Library at The Gregory School, Houston Public Library

The Legacy of Juneteenth

The news of General Order No. 3 set off joyous celebrations. In the year following 1865, freedmen in Texas organized the first annual celebration of "Jubilee Day" on June 19. In addition to being a day of celebration, venues used for Jubilee Day activities were also used to inform the Black community on voting instructions.

Also known as “Emancipation Day” or “Freedom Day,” the annual commemoration has grown from a local celebration in Galveston, Texas, to a national observance. In 1979, Juneteenth became a state holiday, and in 2021, it became a federal holiday.

Picnic at Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900, courtesy of the Austin History Center

Juneteenth has become a day for all Americans to reflect and commemorate the struggles and sacrifices of enslaved Americans. As the oldest known celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth represents a pivotal moment in the nation’s journey toward granting freedom and equality to all citizens.