The Abolition of Slavery
“The Abolition of Slavery” is a primary source digitalized by The Time as a way of preserving it. During the digitalization process, no changes or edits were made to the article. The paper is dated 1865, and it provides an account of the passage of the anti-slavery Amendment. For the longest time, slavery was accepted as a normal practice, but in the 1800s, rebellions against the act began to gain power. According to this article, Congress passed the bill prohibiting slavery in the United States, passed by 119 ayes to 56 nays (“Abolition of Slavery”). The United States union was made of 32 states, and 27 states had to consent to the bill for it to be approved as part of the Constitution.
From this article, we learn that the States’ legislature did not have a fixed time within which they were to vote for the Amendment. Whether states voted within one year or two, their vote in favor of the Amendment would be valid whenever cast. Here we see that the passage of this Amendment was desired by many. Even the Constitution seemed to favor the passage of this Amendment. Congress’s action of adopting this Amendment was among the crucial measures it ever took. If the requisite number of States approved it (the Amendment), that would have been the most vital internal administration act done by any country.
Readers of this article learn that the passing of this Amendment would perfect the efforts of the nation’s founders. The passage of the Amendment would enable the Republic to enter a new stage of democracy where human rights are upheld. The abolition of slavery was yearned for because it meant good and happiness for all citizens.
Works Cited
“The Abolition of Slavery.” The New York Times, 1 Feb. 1865, www.nytimes.com/1865/02/01/archives/the-abolition-of-slavery.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2021.