Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Non-Sequitur
He was even willing to support the 13th Amendment passed by Congress in 1861 if that would help preserve the Union.

Which one is this? Not the historical XIIIth, surely -- do you mean the Crittenden Compromise?

270 posted on 05/24/2002 2:00:58 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 263 | View Replies ]


To: lentulusgracchus
The 13th Amendment which passed out of Congress in March 1861 a few days before the inauguration. It protected slavery and Lincoln spoke of it's passage in his inaugural address. I believe it was ratified by one or two states.
272 posted on 05/24/2002 2:06:33 PM PDT by Non-Sequitur
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 270 | View Replies ]

To: lentulusgracchus
Which one is this? Not the historical XIIIth, surely -- do you mean the Crittenden Compromise?

No. The Crittedon Compromise was over expansion of slavery to the West which Lincoln refused to compromise on. The amendment of 1861 would have guranteed to protect slavery in the 15 states where it then existed by making it 'unconstitutional' to end slavery. Lincoln said he would support it. It was silent on Westward expansion. The amendment was a despiration move by 'moderates' in congress to bring the southern states back and avoid war. The southern states all rejected it saying that slavery was already protected and that expansion was what really mattered to them. The reality is that slavery itself was not the cause of the war. Expansion of slavery was the cause. Lincoln and the South both understood the same economics. Without expansion, the slave economy would have imploded on itself as the slave population doubled every generation. Lincoln saw 'containment' as the way to end slavery, while the south saw expansion as absolutluy necessary to keep their institutions alive.

279 posted on 05/24/2002 3:00:25 PM PDT by Ditto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 270 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson