Juneteenth Happened Because of the US Army
Major General Gordon Granger
Commanded the District of Texas
A Union Army General during the United States Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger was given command of the District of Texas on 10 JUN 1865.
The behind-the-scenes result by Major General Gordon Granger issuing General Order No. 3 on 19 JUN 1865, in Galveston, Texas, further informing residents of, and enforcing, Abraham Lincoln‘s Emancipation Proclamation which set all Confederate states’ slaves free on January 1, 1863
Bringing the Announcement to Galveston
Granger arrived in Galveston with a complement of 1,800 troops to establish command. Early then, he issued a series of General Orders that provided instruction and announcements. It was General Order 3 that proclaimed and announced the great words of President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves.
The words of the order were …
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.
Texas Honors Juneteenth with a Memorial
It was years in the planning and creation but in 2016 the Texas African American History Memorial was unveiled on November 19th.
Located in Austin, Texas, on the grounds of the state’s capital land, the 27-foot high, 32-foot wide monument depicts Juneteenth – June 19, 1865 – when Major General Gordon Granger and 1,800 Union troops arrived in Texas and announced the freedom of slaves in the U.S., along with major social, political, and cultural icons in the state from years later. The structure also portrays the cattle, cotton, and oil industries and black Texans’ role in advancing them.
Texas African American History Memorial
Rear View of Texas African American History Memorial
Juneteenth is a Federal Holiday in the United States
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