Welcoming remarks, we have an important opportunity to share with you. We have a finger with us today. She is going to share with us a beautiful song. A song called lift every voice and sing, which is referred by many as the black african black american anthem. Even though overtime the song was not promoted, children throughout the south cap in a lie. The song gathered momentum over the generations and ultimately, the in ca ap made it its theme song. Naacp made it its theme song. [applause] . Lift every voice and see ring with the heart harmony of liberty let our rejoice see. Thing at song full of the faith that the darkness has taught us. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us facing a rising the dawn of a new day. Let us march on until our story is one won a lonely trot, felt in the day when hope alone had died yet with a steady beat come to the place for which our fathers side we have come over away tears have been watered we have come treading our past through the blood of the slaughter out of the gloomy heart we stand at last where the gleam of our bright star is cast god of our silent tears thou will have wrought us thou keep us forever in the past let us lift our feet straight from the places where we met let our hearts drunk with the wine of the world we forget thee shadows beneath thy true to our god true to our name native land . Where the white gleam of our star is cast god of our weary years , thou our silent tears thus, thouought us into the light kept us praise in the past, we lest our feet straight from the t, lest ourod left hearts drunk with the wine of the heart of the world that we shadows beneath may we god,er stand true to our true to our name, true to our tive land [applause] thank you. I would now like to bring to the podium for welcoming remarks, our hosts an important partners in the commemoration of the 13th amendment. We have partnered with the Lincoln Cottage in the past, honoring the 150th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation. I would like to ask the director of president lincolns cottage to share remarks with us. [applause] good morning. We are delighted to have you here with us today at president lincolns college in washington dc to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th minute. This is a home where lincoln toiled on that document for which he is wellknown. He understood that the emancipation proclamation was just one step in a long line of asked necessary to advance the quality in this country and he pushed for the passage of the 13th minute. He is quoted as saying, this and then it is a king secure for all evils. We are delighted to have you here with us today. Including our scholarly guest to export these issues. Explorer these issues. Thank you again. I also want to express on behalf of of the u. S. Commission on civil rights, our thanks for all of us all of you joining us. As you can see the room as a minutes capacity. A limited capacity. Thanks to cspan for being here to take this for others who could not be here. We stand in the room, and the home, where freedom was born. This house, as aaron said, is the place where president lincoln worked on and drafted portions, and ultimately planned the tragedy for the passage of the emancipation proclamation. Which is directly related to the passage of the 13th minute because there would be questions about whether the emancipation proclamation would still have a forceful effect. For those, lincoln made a promise to be free forever. In an effort to pass the imminent am a its ratification which we celebrate today, is an extreme important part of that history. A history that not only lives in the past, but also be present. Im proud to be a son of illinois, which is the first state to ratify the amendment the day after it was passed in washington. That date was february 1, 1865. I know president lincoln was very proud that his home state was the first of many. As we reflect on the abolition of slavery, we realize there are still vestiges of it in this world. Although the abolitionist slavery occurred, as aaron said, the president felt that this would not be from the past. It took hundred years for another king, dr. Marla the king, to bring it to fruition. While we have abolished slavery, we see in the country today that the fulfillment of the 13th minute will not be complete until we abolish inequality. Until we abolish economic inequality. Until we abolish dissemination. Discrimination. As we have seen from remarks from the Supreme Court, some illtimed remarks, we will not see the until we abolish a block of opportunity that exists in this nation. Today, were going to hear from some scholars. Also, its impact today. We want to celebrate its history, but also outline the important living policy that the imminent represents in the year 2015. The amendment represents in the year 2015. Before you do that, we do that, i want to thank gail harriet, who i worked with an partnership. We are planning work on the 14th the minute next year to recognize its 150th anniversary. We want to thank our colleagues. I like to ask commissioner harriet to come to the podium and share with us a few words on her behalf. [applause] thank you, mr. Chairman. We are here at the Lincoln College to celebrate the 150th anniversary of a crucial event in the history of our nation. The addition of the 13th amendment, prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude to the u. S. Constitution. It was on december 5, 1865 that the state of georgia ratified the 13th minute, ringing the number of ratifying states to 27. Enough to put it over the top. 13 days later, ratification was officially certified and the amendment proclaimed to be part of the constitution by secretary of state when Stewart William stewart, who had recovered from the wounds suffered the same night of lincolns assassination. As a result of rebellion, the use of indentured servants was discredited. At the time to some, the difference between stably slavery and indentured servants to hear modern americans call the substitution of indentured servants the abrasive slavery was a near fatal error. It wrong turns in history can be difficult to correct. It wasnt because no one saw the danger. American quakers preach against it almost from the start. Revolutionary war thinkers condemned it and try to come up with what they saw workable maybe slavery would have straightaway if the cod industry was not as important. Tottenham industry cotton industry was not as important. Who would care for of early slaves . Who would work the farms of childless, would a list wid owless slaves. In the end, it took a congregation in which well over 600,000 died due in slavery. There are those who ask why was it not done sooner and more effectively and they are right to ask. Although for perspective, they should also ask about dozens of other countries that held on to slavery a lot longer. Some of which have only outlook outlawed slavery in the last few decades. I will leave those questions to others come at least for today. For me, this is a day to pay respect for those who made the 13th minute possible. To 18thcentury quakers and 19th century abolitionist. Elijah parish and Frederick Douglass and many others. Including, of course, demand whose cottage we are the man whose cottage we are in today. I salute them all. [applause] thank you, commissioner harriet. Now id like to invite esther battle to join us for another song. I will be singing the battle hymn of the republic and feel free to sing along if you have a layers in your program, . My nights have seen the glory of the lord he is traveling he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword, his truth is marching on. . Glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah his truth is marching on i have seen him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps i can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps his day is marching on. . Glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah his day is marching on let the euro or in other wounded a line since god is marching glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah let the euro or in other wounded a line since god is marching glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah is god his god is marching on he has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat he is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgement seat oh be swift, my soul, to answer him, be jubilant, my feet our god is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah my god is marching on in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me as he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while god is marching on. . Glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah glory, glory, hallelujah his truth is marching on [applause] that is a hard act to follow him up but we happy folks who will do it. Although, they will not be singing, they will be sharing their voices heard they will let the history of as i introduced them, they will come up to sit here. I will tell you a little about their background. First of all, i would like to invite to the panel you can come up and be seated anyway. Dr. Medford is a career chair. She specializes in 19thcentury africanAmerican History and teaches courses in the jacksonian error, the civil war, reconstruction or he reconstruction. She was educated at the hampton institute, university of illinois, and university of maryland where she received a phd in u. S. History. She is served as the director of history of new yorks africanamerican Burial Ground project. She has published numerous articles on African Americans, especially during the civil war error. Her publication includes the emancipation proclamation reviews. The price of slavery, slavery in the civil war on one boy one and two volume one and two. Next, a distinguished professor of law at the university of virginia. While he was a student at law school, he was the editor of the California Law review. After graduation, he served as a judge in san diego four a judge in san diego and judge paul stevens. He is served as he has written on employment determination, and several civil rights. Then, last but not least, we have christian cimino. He is based in boston. His graduated from the college of the holy cross before getting his law degree from harvard law school. He earned a doctorate in American History from boston college. He has published lincoln, the 13th amendment in 2015. He teaches American History, with a focus on political, military, and ethnic history. He is also a practicing attorney. At this point, we will invite individual figures to come to the podium and then we will ask members of cspan two mike them for answer questions from the panel. Dr. Cimino, why dont we start with you. It is a pleasure and honor to be here today. I would like to thank the commissioners for inviting me. It is also a treat to speak at lincolns cottage. Even though we are only a few miles of the white house, one can imagine lincoln here resting. In his first public address after Congress Passed the amendment to abolish slavery, lakin made a pun calling it a cure for all evils. He used medical analogy is and allergies in the past medical analogies in the past. On paper first, 1865 lincoln identified the minute as the proper treatment when he spoke to congress. Lakin acknowledged a multifaceted nature of emancipation. He used the pun to in retrospect, constitutional limits seem the perfect vehicle to a compass what lincoln wanted to do. It actually broke with lincolns longheld belief that it should not be altered. He wants said that we would do much better leaving it alone. Better to think of it as unalterable. Who shall improve on what the original framers did . Decades before the civil war, he said that it should not be amended. He did not call for the use of constitutional limit for change. He called for elections. It helps us make better sense of his agenda in the 1850s. He wanted to work within the framework as he understood it. In 1958, he said it is in the constitution that we have no right to interfere with the state. 1858 since that time, nearly every constitutional thinker understood that the states determine matters of slavery and freedom. Member, abolition at this time was not a popular movement. It was very much a Small Movement in the 1850s. If we recognize that lincoln eliminated the possibility of amending the constitution and he believed that the federal government could interfere with slavery, it becomes clear that for him, the only way to attack slavery was to prohibit its expansion. Lincoln could declare his hatred of slavery, could explain the wrongs associated with it, but at the same time he felt the only constitutional way he could put it on a path to extension, was to watch it with her and die. Wither and die. Lingenfelter emancipation could only take place on the state level and that should be gradual to ease people toward slaverys end. His position did not fit the government from inducing states to abolish slavery on their own. Like an sought to encourage the border states to do that. Gradual statebased emancipation had in a historical feature in the United States. Induce stateo involve slavery on their own. Early in his presidency, lincoln encouraged border states to do just that, offering federal compensation in exchange for emancipation. Gradual statebased emancipation has been a long historical future in the United States. It comes as no surprise that lincoln thought this way. And chief justice tony had raised the prohibition from of thebeing deprived pursuit of life and liberty. Limited any such issue and showed political expedience. It demonstrated lincolns desire to work toward slavery zend but with little turmoil labors and but with little turmoil as possible. Many abolitionists expressed opposition to gradual and compensated emancipation, incoln abandoned due process april 1962 1862 when he prohibited slavery in the territories without compensation. By the summer of 1862, military kentucky to the union. Even if these states were not prepared to consider slavery lincoln thought of emancipation in a greater scale. Something had to be done to turn up the pressure on the confederacy. Because slavery allowed it to mobilize so many more white men into the armed forces. This context, lincoln, in late july 1862, read to his cabinet a draft proclamation by which he would free the confederacy of slaves and his capacity of commander in chief of the armed forces. He announced the proclamation after a military victory. States ave confederate 100day kpt to rejoin the union. And if Congress Went along, accept compensated emancipation. State took him up on the offer. Lincoln cast it as a wartime measure within his president ial war powers and it grounded his actions on solid constitutional bedrock. It garnered support. While the proclamation did not reach slavery in the border states, it had a real impact by expanding the unions and afforded freedom to confederate slaves as soon as they reached union lines. Many took action to make this happen. It lifted the union army. The emancipation proclamation had an impact on the 13th amendment but putting slave states in the center of constitutional discussions. While the proclamation referenced compensated emancipation, the proclamation did not. Lincoln use the federal government to address slavery in the states where it existed. He held that the Confederate States never left the union. That was in contrast to the position he took been elected. In the months following the proclamation, inc. And was quiet lincoln was quiet about specific plans to abolish slavery nationwide. Radical republicans were not. Henry winter davis argued the guarantee clause of the constitution allowed congress to insist that confederate state governments abolished slavery. Charles sumner of massachusetts argued that i seceding, the Confederate States and committed suicide and could be treated as territories where congress may write laws. More conservative republicans shuttered. Some republican started talking about amending the constitution to abolish slavery. James ashley proposed doing so in 1863. Lincoln remained quiet on the issue of the amendment. He continued to urge statebased emancipation. He pressed generals in louisiana and arkansas. He encouraged progress in missouri. Lincoln around this time began to consider what freedom would look like. On march 13, he wrote to congratulate michael hahn on his election. He added, now you are about to have a convention which will probably define the franchise. Some of the colored people may not be let in. Those who have bought you a our ranks. It would help in a trying time to keep the jewel of liberty within the family of freedom. Lincoln recognized that emancipation would a time of transition. In april, senators johnson and henderson endorsed in abolition amendment. The idea started to gain state among some democrats. Some saw this as a political liability. Some democrats saw the amendment as a way to eliminate something that was on its way to extinction anyway. But in a way that protected federalism from more radical proposals are in state emancipation gain traction in maryland and missouri. With some border state senators endorsing a abolition amendment. Lincolns senses told him the Tipping Point had arrived. By june, he had found his winning team of generals. Grant and sherman marched toward atlanta. If war was going well, this will allow for greater published foreign abolition amendment. Lincoln wanted to the matter of nationwide freedom out of his hands. It would not be an issue with confederate peace officers. Peace talks. He would say, i have no control or the issue. It rests with the American People now. He caused in abolition amendment to be placed in his reelection pot form. When the delegation met with him, he spent most of his reply enforcing the amendment. Endorsing the amendment. An editor reported during the , meeting, when one of us mentioned the great enthusiasm of the convention, mr. Lincoln instantly said it was he who the idea into his opening speech. Lincoln knew this would be picked up in the press and boston newspapers around the country. William lord garrison reckoned guys that abolitionists were recognize that, in 1861, abolitionists were numerically insignificant and politically speaking of no importance. People wanted to restore the union as it was. Lincoln brought aboli