GENERAL ORDERS, NUMBER 3
At one time, if you were not from Texas or Louisiana, the mention of “Nineteenth of June” or “Juneteenth” would mean nothing to you. History reminds us that for the Negro in America, the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, did NOT mean freedom. Indeed, for Negroes in Texas, even Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation of Proclamation on January 1, 1863, did not signify freedom. For those of you who do not know the story: