Looking back at a victory for freedom
Lincoln Presidential Library displays 13th Amendment to mark anniversary of slavery’s end
 

[December 11, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – The final step in the long march toward abolishing slavery in America took place Dec. 6, 1865, when ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment was complete. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will mark the 150th anniversary of this historic moment by exhibiting a copy of the amendment signed by Lincoln.

The museum will also debut a new video about the amendment and its impact and will offer free admission to “Lincoln: History to Hollywood,” an exhibit about the Steven Spielberg movie “Lincoln.” The film centered on Lincoln’s efforts to get the amendment approved by Congress.

In addition, the Old State Capitol State Historic Site presents “One Amazing Week,” an exhibit about Illinois’s role in ratifying the amendment and abolishing its own racist “black laws.”

Thanks in large part to Lincoln’s leadership, Congress approved the amendment ending slavery on Jan. 31, 1865. But before it could take effect, it needed approval from three-quarters of the states.

Illinois was the first state to ratify the amendment. Seventeen more approved it within a month. Then came a long period of arranging for ratification in Southern states that had been in rebellion.

Finally, the amendment reached the magic number of 27 with ratification in Georgia on Dec. 6.

The amendment freed tens of thousands of African-Americans who were still enslaved in Kentucky and Delaware, two slave states that had not joined the Confederacy and weren’t subject to the Emancipation Proclamation. It also freed people in parts of several other states and even Washington, DC.

The Lincoln Presidential Library owns an extremely rare copy of the Thirteenth Amendment that was signed and dated by Abraham Lincoln, along with more than 100 lawmakers who voted for it. This fragile document will be displayed in the exhibit “Undying Words: Lincoln 1858-1865” from Dec. 6 to Dec. 28.

The presidential library also has produced a 15-minute video about the amendment. It includes commentary from, among others, Dr. James Cornelius, curator of the library’s Lincoln Collection, and Teresa Haley, president of the Illinois NAACP.

The video will run in the museum’s “Ask Mr. Lincoln” display Dec. 6-12.

“Lincoln: History to Hollywood,” which is already free for children, will also be free for adults Dec. 6-12. Visitors can see sets, costumes and props from “Lincoln” as well as clips from the movie. The exhibit is located in Union Station, just west of the presidential museum.

The museum, located at 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield, is wrapping up a year-long celebration of its 10th anniversary. For details, visit www.TenYearsLincoln.com.

[Shanta Thoele, Communications and Public Affairs, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]