The US abolish slavery

On 31 January 1865 the US House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. It reads as follow: “1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

The American Civil War, of which slavery was a major issue, was still raging. The next day President Lincoln, of the Republican Party, signed the amendment and sent it to all the US states for their ratification.

Celebration in the US House of Representatives after the amendment is passed 31 January 1865.

Most of the Northern states ratified within weeks. Lincoln was assassinated and died on 15 April. His successor Andrew Johnson, oversaw the end of war that summer and the reconstruction of Southern governments. Most of the Southern states ratified the amendment, and by 6 December 1865 it was adopted when three quarters of the states had ratified it. But it would take 148 years for all states to do so. In 1995 Mississippi did, though they didn’t send it for registration. Finally on 7 February 2013 the Federal Register wrote back to Mississippi that it was officially ratified. 

The amendment signed by President Lincoln.

The formal abolishment of slavery was an important formal step for the Black population. But the conditions for the almost four million freed black slaves changed little in their daily life. Most of them continued to do the same work on the same plantation. Southern White Supremacy thoughts were deep rooted. Slowly, after hard struggle, over the next century the Blacks got their civil rights on equal level as the white population. Today the US has its first Black President Barack Obama, another great step towards equity. In a world with many unmet needs, I see change for the better occurring. Though it takes time and efforts, we actually learn and improve.

Showing images of abuse was a strategy used in the campaign against slavery.

Ratification

     Ratified amendment, 1865

     Ratified amendment post-enactment, 1865–1870

     Ratified amendment after first rejecting amendment, 1866–1995

     Territories of the United States in 1865, not yet states

I am open to your comments and proposals.

Regards

Bjarte Bjørsvik