Latest news with #ThirteenthAmendment
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Documents that Lincoln signed to end slavery to be auctioned off
By Dean Murray Two era-defining documents that ended slavery and reshaped American history are to be auctioned. The Thirteenth Amendment (estimated at $8–12 million) and the Emancipation Proclamation (estimated at $3–5 million) are both signed by President Abraham Lincoln. The landmark documents, rarely seen together, will headline Sotheby's Fine Books and Manuscripts auction in New York on June 26. They offer collectors a rare glimpse into the enduring legacy of Lincoln's vision for the legal abolition of slavery in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation introduced partial emancipation, the Thirteenth Amendment was the first instance in which abolition was enshrined in law. Sotheby's says both documents are considered the most valuable copies of their kind ever to reach auction. Their appearance together at the event not only marks a pivotal moment in the nation's history but also underscores Lincoln's commitment to ending slavery-an act he considered his greatest achievement as president. The Thirteenth Amendment copy on offer is among only 15 recorded manuscript copies signed by Lincoln, and one of just nine signed by Lincoln alongside the senators and congressmen who passed it for ratification by the states. Of these, only four remain in private hands, with this example bearing the most signatures of supporting legislators-an extraordinary 96%. The Emancipation Proclamation, also signed by Lincoln, is one of just 27 surviving limited edition copies from an original run of 48 produced to benefit the United States Sanitary Commission, a cause close to Lincoln's heart. These documents were sold at the Great Central Fair in Philadelphia in 1864, raising funds for vital medical care and support for Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on 1 January 1863, while the Thirteenth Amendment was originally signed by President Abraham Lincoln on 1 February 1865, after Congress passed the joint resolution proposing the amendment on 31 January 1865. The documents will be on public view at Sotheby's York Avenue galleries from 20–25 June, ahead of the highly anticipated auction. The post Documents that Lincoln signed to end slavery to be auctioned off appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
Epoch Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Maryland Governor Vetoes Reparations Bill, Says It's Not Time for Another Study
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has vetoed a bill that would have established a commission to explore reparations for slavery. In a Instead, he urged lawmakers to shift their focus toward concrete actions aimed at addressing racial disparities. 'In light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that lead to inequality—from food insecurity to education,' he said. The decision drew criticism from the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, which represents 66 of the 188 members of the state Legislature. 'The state's first black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement,' the lawmakers a statement. Related Stories 4/5/2025 9/4/2024 The The proposed forms of reparations included an official apology, direct monetary compensation, property tax rebates, assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, child-care support, debt forgiveness, and college tuition waivers. Supporters argued that reparations are necessary because the legacies of slavery still affect black Americans today. Opponents countered that reparations are unfair, as slavery ended generations ago and no one alive today perpetrated it or directly suffered from it. 'I think it's disgraceful that we're going to set up a reparations tax that might tax one race and give to another race all in the name of equity,' Matthew Morgan, a Republican delegate, said in April before voting against the bill. Some lawmakers also took issue with the bill's broad language, which gave the proposed commission wide discretion in defining eligibility. They warned that, in theory, this could extend benefits to millions of people across the United States or even the world, costing billions of dollars. House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, a Republican, called on his colleagues to face the financial realities and proposed an amendment to limit the commission's recommendations for relief or remedies to individuals currently residing in Maryland. His amendment did not pass. 'As much as we would like to, we cannot solve—and we cannot absolve—the entire problem of the United States of America,' he said in April ahead of the vote. 'We can only help those who are within our borders and boundaries because we are helping them with our tax dollars.' Maryland abolished slavery in 1864 through a state constitutional amendment, months before the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed the practice throughout the United States in the aftermath of the Civil War. In 2007, the Maryland Legislature issued official statements expressing 'regret for the role Maryland played in instituting and maintaining slavery.'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State House proposes to slash slavery penal exception clause
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A resolution was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives Tuesday, proposing an amendment to the state Constitution that would eliminate an exception to the prohibition of slavery. Currently, Article I, Section 9 of the Michigan Constitution completely bans slavery in the state of Michigan except as punishment for a crime, which is also known as a penal exception clause. The proposed amendment would remove that exception from the language of the law. Similar exceptions exist in fifteen states, including Michigan. In the past ten years, a few states, including Alabama, Colorado, and Nebraska, have voted to amend their laws to remove the penal exception clause. The Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution also has a penal exception clause. The resolution was referred to the Committee on Government Operations for further review. If adopted, the amendment would be placed on the ballot in the next general election. 2025-HIJR-IDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A 19th-century legal case and why it matters today
In other words, as Bernstein points out, years before the Civil War, Emancipation, and the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed forced labor — 'except as a punishment for crime,' as the reads — some Americans were forced to labor for another person's profit. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'A lot of people think that the 13th Amendment created a new form of slavery, a new form of forced labor,' she adds. 'In fact, what it did was it allowed an older form of forced labor to continue, and that is to say carceral slavery, and that form of forced labor has its origins not in the South, but instead in the North.' What happened to William Freeman during his five years at Auburn didn't end with forced labor; he endured brutal beatings, including one that left him permanently disabled with hearing loss and likely cognitive deficits. Six months after his release, Freeman went to the house of a white family and killed four people. His crime, and the public reaction to it, spurred debates about retribution and race. It contributed, as Bernstein details, to a widespread belief among whites that Black youth were inherently criminal. It did not, however, have any effect on the challenge Freeman himself had raised as a teenager. The use of incarcerated labor to produce profits for prisons — the system against which 'he had an entirely rational claim,' Bernstein says — has persisted. Advertisement Telling Freeman's story, Bernstein adds, 'was a really hard needle to thread. One of the commitments I made to myself was that I was going to take everybody's pain very seriously. I was not going to trivialize or dismiss anybody's pain, and that applied to William Freeman, and it also applied to the people that he murdered.' Robin Bernstein will read at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the . And now for some recommendations . . . Haley Mlotek grew up surrounded by marital strife and divorce — as a kid, she helped out at her mother's marital counseling practice, even typing up couples' complaints against each other as they got ready to split up. But her own divorce forced her to confront the pain she hadn't quite understood as a child. In ' The poet Robert Frost is too often seen these days as a simple sage of rural New England, a bard of snowy roads and not much else. But in Adam Plunkett's new biography, ' Academia, feminism, and affairs of the heart intertwine in Michelle de Kretser's ' Advertisement Kate Tuttle edits the Globe's Books section.
