proclamation

In the United States, a proclamation is a public statement, often issued by the government, to announce matters of widespread concern. While proclamations can have legal effects, their primary purpose is to give public notice.12

A notable example is the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, which declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.3

Proclamations are distinct from executive orders, which are a principal mode of administrative action by the president. Executive orders are used to promote policy agendas and manage federal resources, often having more dramatic and lasting effects than proclamations. Both types of documents are published in the Federal Register.24