An original handwritten version of the June 19, 1865 Juneteenth proclamation appears to have been found in the National Archive on June 18, 2020. According to the Washinton Post:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, ‘all slaves are free,’ ” the order reads.
“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.”
…It is a modest, two-paragraph entry in the book labeled “Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston … General Orders No. 3.” But it affected the lives of about 250,000 enslaved people.
The order was located by Trevor Plante, director of an archives textual records division, who, because of current interest in the subject, was asked to search for it.
Printed versions of the order have long existed, Plante said Thursday. “But this is something that we haven’t tracked down before,” he said. The handwritten entry “absolutely” predated the printed versions of the order, he said.
“This is done June 19, 1865,” he said. “This would have been done the day of.”
“It’s in good shape,” he said. “You can read it, and it’s legible.”
David Ferriero, head of the Archives, said of the find: “I think it’s terrific. I think the timing is just amazing.”
