The 13th Amendment and an Incomplete Revolution

The 13th Amendment and the Final Destruction of Slavery, 1864-65

  • the abolition of slavery still required a constitutional amendment
  • the first attempt to pass the 13th Amendment failed
    • April 8, 1864, passed in the Senate
    • June 15, 1864, it was defeated in the House (northern Democrats opposed)
  • the election of 1864 made the amendment possible
    • Lincoln re-elected
    • he promised to continue fighting
    • Republicans won 2/3 of the majority in the House
  • Congress passed the 13th Amendment January 31, 1865
    • Lincoln signed it February 1
    • Lincoln and other leaders realized that amending the Constitution was the only way to officially end slavery
  • it wasn’t ratified by 2/3 of the states until December 1865 (this was 8 months after the war)
  • 4 million African Americans were freed by the 13th Amendment
  • interesting facts about the 13th Amendment:
    • abolished enslavement and involuntary servitude
    • a transformative moment in American
    • the amendment still allows for slavery as a punishment for a crime
    • it allows for people to be prosecuted for forcing someone to work against their free will
    • the state of Mississippi finally ratified the amendment in 1995
  • meanwhile all enslaved people in british colonies in the western hemisphere are liberated
    • william lloyd garrison establishes the american anti-slavery society in philadelphia

An Incomplete Revolution

  • by Confederate surrender in April 1865…
    • General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to the Unions Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia
    • RobertE.Lee:Robert E. Lee: he was a Confederate general during the Civil War
    • UlyssesS.Grant:Ulysses S. Grant: he was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877 (after he led to Union army to victory, he served as the Secretary of War
    • clear to everyone that slavery as it had existed was over
    • what came next was unclear:
    • would freedom include political equality?
    • would freed people receive land grants or other support?
    • would other confiscated rebel property (especially land) be returned?
    • what kind of society would replace slavery?