House Joint Resolution Proposing an Amendment to Prohibit Congress from Abolishing Slavery
3/2/1861
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H.J. Res. 80, the Corwin Amendment, proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit Congress from abolishing slavery. As noted at the bottom of the amendment, the resolution passed by two-thirds in the House on February 28, 1861, and two-thirds in the Senate on March 3, 1861. A joint resolution is a formal opinion adopted by both houses of the legislative branch. A constitutional amendment must be passed as a joint resolution before it is sent to the states for ratification.
Weeks before the Civil War started, there was still hope of preserving peace and saving the Union. Representative Thomas Corwin (R-OH) introduced an amendment to sustain slavery and make the amendment itself unamendable. Congress approved it, but the Civil War started before the states could ratify. Four years later, the states ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery—the opposite of Corwin’s proposal.
Weeks before the Civil War started, there was still hope of preserving peace and saving the Union. Representative Thomas Corwin (R-OH) introduced an amendment to sustain slavery and make the amendment itself unamendable. Congress approved it, but the Civil War started before the states could ratify. Four years later, the states ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery—the opposite of Corwin’s proposal.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.
National Archives Identifier: 24824293
Full Citation: House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res.) 80 Proposing a Constitutional Amendment to Prohibit Congress from Abolishing Slavery; 3/2/1861; Bills and Resolutions Originating in the House of Representatives and Considered in the Senate during the 36th Congress; Bills and Resolutions Originating in the House and Considered in the Senate, 1789–2002; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/amendment-prohibit-abolishing-slavery, December 6, 2023]Activities that use this document
- From Slavery to Juneteenth: Emancipation and Ending Enslavement
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