President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, to become effective on January 1st, of the following year. He declared all slaves would be free, and no longer owned by another person. However, it had very little effect in the Confederate States, including Texas. General Gordon Granger and 2,000 troops arrived on the island of Galveston, TX on June 18th, 1865 to take custody of the state, and to emancipate all slaves. On June 19th he stood on the balcony of Ashton Villa and read this: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves…