The Anniversary Americans Ignore

Today is the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. It was the former Confederate state of Georgia that sent the amendment over the edge. Unlike other anniversaries acknowledged over the course of the Civil War sesquicentennial this one has unfortunately garnered very little attention.

I offer some thoughts about this in my latest essay at The Daily Beast. You should also take time to read the excellent op-ed by Blain Roberts and Ethan Kytle in The New York Times.

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5 comments… add one
  • MSB Dec 7, 2015 @ 22:12

    I enjoyed your essay, Kevin. And thanks for the reminder of the day.

    The whole sequence of the vote on the amendment in “Lincoln” is very moving. From the welcoming of the African Americans in the gallery “to the people’s house”, to Mrs Keckley’s silent anxiety, to the agony of individual Congressmen casting their votes, to Ashley’s tears of joy, to Jones’ Stevens limping home to share his joy with his beloved. I’ve watched the whole film several times, but that part is my favourite.

  • Richard Dec 6, 2015 @ 14:17

    And the Union state of Kentucky, which “joined the Confederacy after the Civil
    War” did not ratify it until,1976, though it meant nothing to the ratification process.

  • Ross Hetrick Dec 6, 2015 @ 13:52

    The day Congress excluded ex-Confederates and their allies was also ignored:http://thaddeusstevenssociety.com/Dec4Explanation.html

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