SR0111 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, 150 years ago this week, Illinois became the first state in the union to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in America, stating, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction"; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' native son, President Abraham Lincoln, who in 1863 had issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all persons held as slaves in Confederate territory, exerted the full influence of his office to ensure Congressional passage of the Thirteenth Amendment and propel the train of freedom farther down history's long track; and

WHEREAS, On February 1, 1865, after receiving word that the United States House of Representatives had approved the Thirteenth Amendment, Illinois Governor Richard J. Oglesby informed the General Assembly of its passage and urged its immediate ratification on the grounds that doing so was "just" and "humane"; three and a half hours later, the amendment stood ratified by both chambers; and

WHEREAS, The Thirteenth Amendment officially became the law of the land on December 18, 1865 after 27 states - 19 in the north and west, and 8 in the south - had ratified it; and

WHEREAS, Each February, the nation observes Black History Month, a time of teaching and learning about the black men and women who are an integral part of our nation's narrative and have made outstanding contributions to national life and the ongoing struggle for freedom, justice, and equality; and

WHEREAS, The addition of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution marked a turning point in the history of American race relations; by no means the end of discrimination, injustice and oppression, which persists today and which we unequivocally oppose, but the beginning of a road that led through Jim Crow, Brown v. Board of Education, Selma, and to the nation's first black president and beyond; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that February of 2015 shall be known as Thirteenth Amendment Ratification Month in recognition of the sesquicentennial of the Twenty-fourth Illinois General Assembly's history-making vote for abolition and the Thirteenth Amendment's vital place in the annals of American history; and be it further

RESOLVED, That schools, civic organizations, and other institutions in the State of Illinois, as they observe Black History Month, are also encouraged to study the passage and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, the leaders who brought the State and nation to this historic moment, and the effects of ratification on Illinoisans and Americans of all races.