Lincoln and the Thirteenth Amendment
Seiten
2015
Southern Illinois University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8093-3424-7 (ISBN)
Southern Illinois University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8093-3424-7 (ISBN)
Long before the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln recognized the challenge American slavery posed to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. A constitutional amendment would be the ideal solution to ending slavery, yet the idea of such an amendment conflicted with several of Lincoln’s long-held positions. In this study, Christian G. Samito examines how Lincoln’s opposition to amending the United States Constitution shaped his political views before he became president, and how constitutional arguments overcame Lincoln’s objections, turning him into a supporter of the Thirteenth Amendment by 1864–65.
For most of his political career, Samito shows, Lincoln disputed changing the constitution, even to overturn rulings with which he disagreed. Well into his presidency, he argued that emancipation could take place only on the state level because the federal government had no jurisdiction to control slavery in the states. Between January 1863 and mid-1864, however, Lincoln came to support a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery because it worked within the constitutional structure and preserved key components of American constitutionalism in the face of Radical Republican schemes.
Samito chronicles lobbying efforts, the final vote in the House on the amendment resolution, and various charges of corruption and back-room deals. He also considers the Hampton Roads conference, Lincoln’s own thoughts on the meaning of the amendment, and the impact of Lincoln’s assassination on the reading of the amendment. Closing with a lively discussion that applies the Thirteenth Amendment to current events, this concise yet comprehensive volume demonstrates how the constitutional change Lincoln helped bring about continues to be relevant today.
For most of his political career, Samito shows, Lincoln disputed changing the constitution, even to overturn rulings with which he disagreed. Well into his presidency, he argued that emancipation could take place only on the state level because the federal government had no jurisdiction to control slavery in the states. Between January 1863 and mid-1864, however, Lincoln came to support a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery because it worked within the constitutional structure and preserved key components of American constitutionalism in the face of Radical Republican schemes.
Samito chronicles lobbying efforts, the final vote in the House on the amendment resolution, and various charges of corruption and back-room deals. He also considers the Hampton Roads conference, Lincoln’s own thoughts on the meaning of the amendment, and the impact of Lincoln’s assassination on the reading of the amendment. Closing with a lively discussion that applies the Thirteenth Amendment to current events, this concise yet comprehensive volume demonstrates how the constitutional change Lincoln helped bring about continues to be relevant today.
Christian G. Samito practices law in Boston and teaches legal and constitutional history seminars at Boston University School of Law, USA. He is the author of Becoming American under Fire: Irish Americans, African Americans, and the Politics of Citizenship during the Civil War Era. He edited Changes in Law and Society during the Civil War and Reconstruction: A Legal History Documentary Reader, two Civil War letter collections, and a reprinting of a nineteenth-century regimental history.
| Reihe/Serie | Concise Lincoln Library |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 8 illustrations |
| Verlagsort | Carbondale |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 135 x 211 mm |
| Gewicht | 334 g |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte |
| Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918) | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte | |
| Recht / Steuern ► EU / Internationales Recht | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-8093-3424-0 / 0809334240 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-8093-3424-7 / 9780809334247 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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Buch | Hardcover (2024)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
CHF 47,60
