Permanent USA slavery
No. The Corwin Amendment only limited the action of the U.S. Government. Any state in the Union could abolish slavery as it saw fit.
No. The Corwin Amendment only limited the action of the U.S. Government. Any state in the Union could abolish slavery as it saw fit.
A quibble. For everyone alive at that time, slavery was likely to remain in at least one of the states for a duration beyond their lifetime.
We all acknowledge that slavery would eventually die out. Anyone with sense can see the natural progression of abolition through the states, and it was only a matter of time before the decline in economic value coupled with the increase of societal disdain, would eventually result in the wealthy plantation owners deciding they didn't need it anymore, because it was making them look bad in front of all their society friends.
But at the time the Corwin Amendment was put forth, and for all the people then alive, "permanent" is a pretty good word.
Exactly right. In Lincoln's mind Corwin changed nothing that wasn't already understood about the U.S. Constitution -- slavery could still be abolished by States whenever they wanted to.
By stark contrast, the Confederate constitution did effectively make abolition impossible and that is why seceding States had no interest in Corwin, when they could have guaranteed slavery forever.