The Thirteenth Amendment Is Proclaimed
Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed the Thirteenth Amendment's adoption on December 18, 1865.
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The Event
Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed the Thirteenth Amendment's adoption on December 18, 1865. The required ratifications had been reached earlier that month.
The Wider Story
The proclamation certified a fundamental constitutional change after the Civil War. Slavery was abolished under the amendment's terms.
Putting the Event in Perspective
Certification did not end racial oppression or every form of coerced labor.
Reading the Historical Record
Distinguish this date from ratification on December 6 and from later civil-rights amendments.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a Reconstruction-era federal office with unreadable proclamation papers and a printing press. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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