On June 19th, 1865, General Order No. 3 was issued by U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, informing Texans that all enslaved people were now free. It came two year's after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
An original copy of the order currently lives inside the Hall of State at Fair Park and is on display until Oct. 19 as part of The Dallas Historical Society's exhibit, "Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom."
NTX Now's Ron Corning spoke with Deah Berry Mitchell, food writer and historian, about the document and this moment in Texas history.
What do we know about this document?
Mitchell said these types of documents would have been hand written or printed and distributed by folks in the community. In the case of General Order No. 3, there were already rumors that slavery had ended, but instant communication was not a luxury 161 years ago.
"Those who could read would have read it," Mitchell said. "Some troops would have been reading it as well and also using places where people were gathering, so places like churches, for example [to spread the word]."
What stands out?
The language of this order is something worth studying. Michell explains that this document wasn't necessarily a proclamation of the end of slavery, but the beginning of a process to end slavery.
"A lot of people assume that after this announcement came, those who were then considered formerly enslaved were able to just come about and mill around and do whatever they wanted to do," Mitchell said. "But in fact, they were not able to yet, or at least not in Galveston."
How did this document get to Dallas?
While the origin of this document comes from Galveston, it currently resides with the Dallas Historical Society at the Hall of State in Fair Park. George Dealey, one of the founders of The Dallas Morning News, obtained the document that's on display and donated it to DHS in the 1960s.
History preserved
Mitchell explains that preserving any history is important.
"This happens to be a part of history that impacted thousands, over 200,000 Black Texans during that time period," she said. "But just because it immediately emancipated that group doesn't mean that it's not applicable to a lot of other people as well. So, I think about that just as I think about any type of history, to be honest with you — I think it deserves to be preserved."
Ron Corning is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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