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Civil War starts
The Civil War breaks out between the Confederacy and the Union under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. This is when the issue of slavery was at a peak. -
Emancipation Proclamation is issued
Once the war seemed to be favoring the Union, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed the slaves in the Confederate states "where he and the Union Army could not force the issue." (History.com) -
Senate Judiciary Committee passes 13th Amendment
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed and brought the 13th Amendment to the full Senate for the majority vote. -
First House of Representatives vote
This date is the first time the House of Representatives tried to vote on the 13th Amendment. However, the vote fell short of the 2/3 majority needed to pass. -
The Senate passes the 13th Amendment
The Senate quickly passes the 13th Amendment after the Senate Judiciary Committee gives them the amendment, with a majority vote of 38-6. In total, there were 8 votes more than constitutionally required. -
Second House of Representatives vote
On this day, the House took another vote on the 13th Amendment, but it failed yet again. -
13th Amendment passes the House of Representatives
On this day, the House, at last, successfully passed the 13th Amendment with a majority vote and sent it to the President's desk. -
13th Amendment approved by President Lincoln
The next day after the House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment, President Lincoln signed it and sent it to the states to be ratified -
Civil War ends
The bloody Civil War comes to an end, with the Union as the victor. -
Abraham Lincoln assassinated
During a performance of "Our American Cousin," John Wilkes Booth, an aspiring actor and Confederate supporter, walked into the private box where President Lincoln sat and shot him, fatally wounding him. He was carried to a boarding house across the street, where he died. By this time, only 21 states had ratified the 13th Amendment (History.com). -
President Andrew Johnson is inaugurated
Following President Lincoln's assassination, his vice president Andrew Johnson is sworn into office. Using his executive powers, he forces the Southern states to ratify the 13th amendment as a part of his Reconstruction policies (NMAAHC) -
Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment
Georgia was the 27th and last state who ratified the 13th Amendment before it became official. After Georgia ratified it, the amendment became officially part of the Constitution.