Who Freed the Slaves? - The Fight Over the Thirteenth Amendment

Who freed America s slaves? The real story of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitutionwhich codified the rhetoric of the Emancipation Proclamationremains surprisingly obscure in the public imagination. Too often, this story has been told as a mere coda to that of the Proclamation, or as a tale of the Great Mr. Lincoln. Neither is historically accurate or complete. In Leonard Richards s hands, the full story makes for the best kind of political narrative, gripping and suspenseful.
The prime mover of the amendment was James Ashley, firebrand congressman from Toledo, Ohio. An angry and articulate idealist, Ashley pushed Congress, the president, and the country again and again until the arc of justice bent his way. Both a tale of righteous rage and legislative legerdemain, Outlawing Slavery details Ashley s campaign, replete with horse trading, arm twisting, and (maybe) vote buying. With many Congressmenand, for a long time, Abraham Lincolnresisting Ashley s demand for a constitutional amendment, Ashley had to engage in procedural shenanigans during a lame-duck session in 18641865 to maneuver Congress into finally doing the right thing."

About the author

Leonard L. Richards is the author of seven books, including Shays' Rebellion: The American Revolution's Final Battle and, most recently, The California Gold Rush and the Coming of the Civil War. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Summary

Presents a story of the battle over the Thirteenth Amendment, and of James Ashley, the unsung Ohio congressman who proposed the amendment and steered it to passage. This book takes you to the floor of Congress and to the back rooms where deals were made. It brings to life the messy process of legislation and more.

Product details

• Authors: Leonard L. Richards, Richards Leonard L.
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 06.04.2015
• EAN: 9780226178202
• ISBN: 978-0-226-17820-2
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Law > General, dictionaries; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, LAW / Legal History, LAW / Constitutional, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Slavery, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Legal History, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Slavery & abolition of slavery, Slavery and abolition of slavery, Constitutional & administrative law, Constitutional and administrative law: general