Prompt Cast
The Passage of the 13th Amendment: Ending Slavery in the United States
TLDR President Abraham Lincoln worked tirelessly to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in order to permanently end slavery and prevent future conflicts. Despite accusations of corruption, the amendment was ratified by 27 states and is considered one of the most important acts in US history.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
President Abraham Lincoln knew that in order to truly end the conflict of the American Civil War, it was necessary to ban slavery once and for all, which required changing the Constitution through the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
01:53
In order to permanently end slavery and prevent future conflicts, President Lincoln realized that a constitutional amendment was necessary, as passing a law or relying on the Emancipation Proclamation would not be sufficient.
03:31
Once the 13th Amendment passed Congress, it had to be approved by three-fourths of the states, with Republicans in favor of abolition and Democrats more concerned with restoring the Union and ending the war.
05:14
Lincoln used all means necessary, including offering jobs, campaign contributions, and cash bribes, to secure the votes needed to pass the amendment, even denying the existence of a Confederate delegation in Washington to prevent Democrats from using it as an excuse to delay the process.
06:51
On February 1st, 1865, Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, despite the fact that the president has no role in the passage of a constitutional amendment, and Representative Thaddeus Stevens, a leading abolitionist, claimed that the amendment was passed through corruption with Lincoln's assistance.
08:30
The 13th Amendment was ratified by 27 states, including former Confederate states, by December 6th, 1865, and was seen as the fulfillment of the Civil War.
10:05
The 13th Amendment, while not solving all the problems caused by slavery, remains one of the most important acts in US history.
