Updated Jun 19, 2023 - Politics & Policy

In photos: Emancipation Proclamation on display as U.S. marks Juneteenth

Rebecca Falconer

Enlarge Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan with the display of the Emancipation Proclamation. — Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan at the National Archives and Records Administration on June 17 with the display of the Emancipation Proclamation, the act President Lincoln signed to abolish slavery. Photo: John Valceanu/NARA

Thousands of people reportedly lined up over the Juneteenth holiday weekend to view the temporary display of the Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

The big picture: The event was one of many across the U.S. celebrating the day some of the last enslaved people in Texas learned about their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, ahead of Monday's federal holiday commemorating the occasion.

The National Archives plans to showcase the Emancipation Proclamation permanently and the NARA said in a statement it's assessing "the best display environment considering the condition and importance of the original document." Photo: Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan/Twitter

People sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during a Juneteenth celebration in New York City at the African Burial Ground National Monument on June 19, 2023 in New York City. A Juneteenth celebration was held at the Monument, where the remains of more than 419 Africans are buried, that featured a libation, drumming, speakers, and performances. — People sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during a Juneteenth celebration at the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City on June 19. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

People attend a protest during the annual Juneteenth commemorations June 19, 2023, in Newark, New Jersey. — People attend a protest during annual Juneteenth commemorations in Newark, New Jersey, on June 19. Photo: Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress

Officials formed a circle and held hands while Windy Barnes sang John Lennons Imagine, during the Juneteenth celebration at the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro on Monday, June 19, 2023. — Officials join hands while Windy Barnes sings John Lennon's "Imagine" during the Juneteenth celebration at the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, California, on June 19. Photo: Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images

People celebrate Juneteenth during an event at Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. — People celebrate Juneteenth during an event at Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 19 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

People participate in a Juneteenth celebration in Fort Greene park on June 18, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Originating in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, Juneteenth celebrates the announcement, about two months after the end of the Civil War, that Gordon Granger, a Union general, informed enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. The holiday is also called "Juneteenth Independence Day," "Freedom Day" or "Emancipation Day" and was made a federal holiday in 2021. — People participate in a Juneteenth celebration in Fort Greene Park on June 18 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Hughes Van Ellis is 102 years old, is a survivor of the Massacre and brother of Mother Viola Fletcher. He's also a WWll combat veteran. He speaks about his memoir in Washington D.C., United States on June 18, 2023. Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the US commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. — 102-year-old Hughes Van Ellis, a survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, speaking during an event in Washington D.C., on June 18. Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Canal Bullard, 13, peers out from a Shooting Stars inflatable basketball game at the Juneteenth celebration in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Long Beach on June 18, 2023. The day started with an outdoor service by the Grace Memorial Baptist Church, a breakfast, and many set up booths selling t-shirts and some providing information on various programs to help members in the community. — The scene from a Juneteenth celebration in Long Beach, California, on June 18. Photo: Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A Juneteenth celebration is held before game two of a doubleheader between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on June 18, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. — Juneteenth is celebrated before game two of a doubleheader between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on June 18 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

People looking at the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives. — People looking at the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives on June 17. Photo: John Valceanu/NARA

Go deeper: Only 18 states have made Juneteenth a state holiday

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In photos: Emancipation Proclamation on display as U.S. marks Juneteenth

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