1860

November

Abraham Lincoln is elected President, James Buchanan still serving.

December 3, 1860

President Buchanan asks Congress for an "explanatory amendment" designed to convince the southern states not to secede. President-elect Abraham Lincoln approves. Congress approves the Joint Resolution, and it signed by the Speaker of The House William Pennington, Vice President of the United states and President of the Senate John C. Breckenridge, and later approved by President Buchanan, certified by the Clerk of the House.

December 20, 1860

South Carolina secedes from the union, the first to do so. The Secession Convention of South Carolina voted unanimously in favor of leaving the union at 1:07 PM on December 20th, 1860. The declarations were signed later that evening starting at 6:00 PM. (All of the subsequent secession votes took place after that time or in early 1861)

Nebraska Territory publishes the 13th Amendment.

1861

January 9, 1861

Mississippi secedes from the union.

January 10, 1861

Florida secedes from the union.

January 11, 1861

Alabama secedes from the union.

January 19, 1861

Georgia secedes from the union.

January 26, 1861

Louisiana secedes from the union.

February 1, 1861

Texas secedes from the union.

February 4, 1861

A Peace Convention, sponsored by the Virginia State Legislature, convenes in Washington, D.C. to try for peace. Though invited, no seceded states officially attend. The Convention is a failure.

February 4, 1861

Delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas meet in Montgomery, Alabama to write the Confederate States of America Constitution.

February 28, 1861

The proposed "explanatory amendment" often referred to as the "Corwin amendment" is passed by the House, regarding permanent protection of slavery in those States where it then existed. It was silent on the subject of servitude in the Territories. It is also called the 13th Amendment. No protest is made that the number was already used. The seceded states, of course, take no interest.

March 2, 1861

The proposed "explanatory amendment" is sent to the states for ratification. The resolution is "approved" and signed by President James Buchanan.

March 4,1861

Abraham Lincoln takes office as President of the United States.

April 12, 1861

War Between the States begins at Fort Sumter.

April 17, 1861

Virginia secedes and with her goes every living member of the legislature which ratified the 13th Amendment.

May 6, 1861

Arkansas secedes.

May 20, 1861

North Carolina secedes.

June 8, 1861

Tennessee secedes.

Kansas, the Nebraska Territory and the Colorado Territory publish the original 13th Amendment.

1862

March 22, 1862

Illinois ratifies the "new" 13th Amendment, referring to it as Article 13. 

November 16, 1862

William Ballard Preston, former Virginia Delegate and Senator, U.S. Representative and Secretary of the Navy dies - as a Confederate Senator.

The Dakota Territory publishes the original 13th Amendment

Former Presidents Martin Van Buren and John Tyler both die, Tyler as a Confederate citizen holding office in the Confederate government.

1863

The Colorado Territory publishes the original 13th Amendment.

1864

December 5, 1864

Congress passes another Resolve to Amend, this one outlawing slavery and removing states' rights from the Constitution. Congress passes another Resolve to Amend, this one outlawing slavery and removing states' rights from the Constitution. This proposed amendment is signed by the Speaker of the House, Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate H. Hamlin, and also later signed as "approved" by Abraham Lincoln on February 1, 1865, then certified by J.W. Forney as Secretary.

January 13, 1865

The amendment of 1864 passes Congress. No protest is made regarding the errant numbering, and the proposal is passed in the absence of 11 former southern states.

February 1, 1865

The newest "13th Amendment" is sent to the states for ratification. The resolution is signed as "approved" by President Lincoln.

Kansas and the Nebraska, Dakota and Colorado Territories all publish the original 13th Amendment.

April 9, 1865

General Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox.

April 14, 1865

Abraham Lincoln is assassinated, Abraham Lincoln is mortally wounded on April 14th, 1865, while William Seward turns away an attack on his person in his own home; a suspected attacker is turned away from the residence of Vice President Andrew Johnson.

Lincoln dies early in the day of April 15th, and Andrew Johnson becomes becomes President of the United States.

May 4, 1865

General Dick Taylor surrenders to General Canby all the remaining rebel forces east of the Mississippi and all hostilities of the war cease, except for outlaw bands.

December 6, 1865

Congress reconvenes. 10 of 11 former Confederate states have governments functioning under federal direction. None of the 11 states were represented in Congress when the new Amendment was proposed in February. However, 8 of those states ratify the "new" 13th Amendment as part of the preconditions for recognition as states of the United States again. This provides the necessary three-fourths of the states, and the "new" 13th Amendment is ratified, replacing and effectively erasing the original 13th Amendment which outlaws titles of nobility, honors, and emoluments from foreign powers.

December 18, 1865

Secretary of State William Seward announces ratification of the "new" 13th Amendment, which loudly prohibits slavery (and quietly surrenders States' Rights to the federal government).

April 2, 1866

A Proclamation is issued by President Andrew Johnson that all of the States formerly considered to be in rebellion have returned to a condition of normalcy, including their ratification of an "amendment abolishing slavery." In that official proclamation he does not refer to it by any number.

The Territory of Colorado again publishes the original 13th Amendment.

The Territory of Colorado again publishes the original 13th Amendment in two editions, one edition translating the laws of Colorado into Spanish

Kansas and the Territory of Colorado again publish the original 13th Amendment. In the Colorado Territory publication the original 13th Amendment, despite the fact that another amendment called the 13th had been ratified. This Colorado version includes both the original 13th Amendment, and the newer 13th Amendment on the same page. The newer "13th Amendment" is listed as the 14th Amendment. [View Colorado Document]

The Dakota Territory again publishes the original 13th Amendment.

 James Buchanan dies.

Franklin Pierce dies.

The Territory of Nebraska again publishes the original 13th Amendment.

Wyoming Territory publishes the publishes the original 13th Amendment, the last known publication which contains it. The "new" anti-slavery amendment is shown as the 14th, the current 14th is not shown, but the current 15th is in its proper order.