Emancipation Proclamation to be on permanent display next to founding US documents

The Emancipation Proclamation will be permanently displayed next to the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence in D.C., the National Archives announced Saturday.

During a Juneteenth celebration, the archives said the historical document would join the others in the archive’s rotunda, according to a National Archives release. The Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 were temporarily displayed from June 17 to June 19.

“Although the full privileges of freedom were not immediately bestowed upon all Americans with Lincoln’s order, I am proud that the National Archives will enshrine this seminal document for public display adjacent to our nation’s founding documents,” Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan said. “Together, they tell a more comprehensive story of the history of all Americans and document progress in our nation’s continuous growth toward a more perfect Union.”

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Grange issued General Order No.3 informing the enslaved people of Texas of their freedom. This news was delivered over two years after January 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Declaration said all enslaved people “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.

Before it goes on permanent display, the archives will plan how to present and maintain the document for visitors year-round, according to the release.

The Emancipation Proclamation is a double-sided five-page document. The archives’ plan is to display the pages of the document on a rotating basis to limit light exposure, the release said.

The last day to see the temporary display is June 19.