13th Amendment Ratified

On this day in 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, officially ending the institution of slavery, is ratified. "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." With these words, the single greatest change wrought by the Civil War was officially noted in the Constitution.

Source:
The 13th Amendment is ratified.” 2012. The History Channel website. Dec 6 2012, 9:44 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/13th-amendment-ratified.



Image: Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30004

Juneteenth: The reason behind the reason

Today is June 19th and some of you know what that means -- that's right Juneteenth! Now, some of you may not know what Juneteenth is all about, so I'll give you a brief knock down. First, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. There are varied theories as to why he issued this emancipation for slavery, but that's another blog. Anyway, the Emancipation Proclamation only related to areas under the control of the Union. This proclamation did not include slaves in the border states (Galveston, TX) and southern states that were under the control of the Confederate States of America . This would soon lead to 13th Amendment to the Constitution on December 18, 1865 which "ended" slavery in all parts of the United States. So, on June 19, 1865, the Union General Gordon Granger traveled to Galveston, TX to inform the inhabitants of the news.

Side note: In reality blacks in the United States would continue their struggle for freedom for the next one hundred years. This would eventually bring us to The 1965 Voting Rights Act that outlawed the requirement for a literacy test to meet voting qualifications. Unfortunately, today the struggle continues. Happy Juneteenth! Peace~