The National Archives holds the two documents central to Juneteenth: The Emancipation Proclamation, in which President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed all enslaved people in Confederate states “are, and henceforward shall be free” as of Jan. 1, 1863, and General Order No. 3, which Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued in Galveston, Tex., on June 19, 1865, informing all enslaved people that they were now free.
The two historic papers are on display side by side in the Archives’ East Rotunda Gallery for three days only: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 – Thursday, June 20, 2024.
For more information, click HERE.