General Order No. 3
General Order No. 3 is a significant historical proclamation delivered on June 19, 1865, by Major General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas. This order announced the end of slavery in Texas, marking a pivotal moment in the African American struggle for freedom and civil rights. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, its effects were slow to reach Texas due to the absence of Union troops and the state's geographic isolation from active conflict during the Civil War. Granger's announcement was a crucial effort to enforce Lincoln's declaration and deliver much-needed news to enslaved individuals in Texas, leading to a progressive shift toward the abolition of slavery.
The delivery of General Order No. 3 is celebrated as a major milestone, culminating in the annual observance of Juneteenth, which honors this momentous occasion. Initially celebrated within Texas, the recognition of Juneteenth has since spread nationwide, thanks in part to grassroots initiatives aimed at highlighting its significance. In a notable culmination of these efforts, Juneteenth was designated a federal holiday in 2021, solidifying its importance in American history and culture. The observance of Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the struggles faced and the resilience shown by African Americans throughout history.
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General Order No. 3
General Order No. 3 was a critical missive to the people of Texas that announced the end of slavery in the state. Delivered in Galveston by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, the order was an effort to bring news of the Emancipation Proclamation—originally issued two years earlier—to Texas, where Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of slavery’s end had little initial impact. From that point forward, Granger’s announcement of General Order No. 3 and the subsequent end of slavery in Texas was viewed as a major milestone in African American history that ultimately came to be commemorated by the holiday of Juneteenth.
Overview
On September 22, 1862, in the midst of the US Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln delivered an address known as the Emancipation Proclamation. In this historic announcement, Lincoln declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states who were at war with the Union “are, and henceforward, shall be free.” While the Emancipation Proclamation effectively reframed the Civil War as a struggle against slavery and set the stage for how the nation would be reshaped at its conclusion, it did not immediately free any slaves. This was in large part because the proclamation applied only to parts of the nation still under Confederate control at the time it was delivered. Still, it was a powerful statement that would eventually lead to the end of slavery.
Of all the Southern states, the Emancipation Proclamation had perhaps the least immediate effect in Texas. Given that no major Civil War battles were fought there, very few Union troops were present in the state to enforce Lincoln’s declaration. As a result, slavery continued there relatively unfettered for two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was announced. Worse, many slaveholders actually moved to Texas after Lincoln unveiled his proclamation because they viewed the state as a safe haven for their so-called “peculiar institution.”
As the Civil War entered its final stages in the spring of 1865, the need to finally bring an end to slavery in Texas became apparent. To that end, Major General Gordon Granger was dispatched to Galveston, Texas with a contingent of more than two thousand Union troops to assume control of the state and deliver General Order No. 3, which announced that all slaves in Texas were officially freed. Granger marched through the city and read General Order No. 3 aloud in several public places. Despite the fact that not all of Texas’s slaves were immediately freed, the delivery of General Order No. 3 was a major step forward toward the total abolition of slavery.
A year after Granger read General Order No. 3, freed slaves in Texas staged the first annual celebration of what was to become Juneteenth. The Juneteenth celebration subsequently spread across the country as Texas’s African American population migrated to other areas. Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1979. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill that officially made Juneteenth a national holiday.
Bibliography
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Davis, Michael. “National Archives Safeguards Original ‘Juneteenth’ General order.” National Archives, 19 June 2020, www.archives.gov/news/articles/juneteenth-original-document. Accessed 8 July 2021.
“General Order No. 3.” American Battlefield Trust, 2021, www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/general-order-no-3. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Granger, Gordon. “General Order No. 3.” Encyclopedia Virginia, 2 Dec. 2020, encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/general-order-no-3-june-19-1865. Accessed 8 July 2021.
“Juneteenth.” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2021, www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/juneteenth.html. Accessed 8 July 2021.
“Juneteenth and General Order No. 3.” Galveston History, June 2021, www.galvestonhistory.org/news/juneteenth-and-general-order-no-3. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Nix, Elizabeth. “What Is Juneteenth?” History.com, 17 June 2021, www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth. Accessed 8 July 2021.
Richards, Margaret. “Celebrating Juneteenth and General Orders, No. 3.” Texas Lifestyle & Travel Magazine, 16 June 2020, texaslifestylemag.com/living-texas/celebrating-juneteenth-and-general-orders-no-3. Accessed 8 July 2021.