Mississippi Officially Certifies the Thirteenth Amendment in 2013, Ending a 148-Year Delay in Ratification
The abolition of slavery in the United States was a long and painful process that culminated in the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. While slavery was legally abolished in 1865, the state of Mississippi did not officially certify the amendment until 2013—almost 148 years later. This delay is one of the most unusual occurrences in American history.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the required number of states on December 6, 1865. The amendment states:
Section 1: 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.
Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The passage of this amendment formally ended the practice of slavery across the country, following the Civil War. While President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation (1863) had declared enslaved people free in the Confederate states, it did not apply to border states like Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland, which had remained in the Union. The Thirteenth Amendment ensured that slavery was abolished in all states permanently.
Mississippi’s Initial Resistance to the Thirteenth AmendmentDespite the formal ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, many Southern states resisted its implications. Mississippi, as a former Confederate state, was among those most opposed to abolition. After the Civil War, Mississippi’s economy, which was largely dependent on enslaved labor in cotton plantations, faced severe economic devastation. Many white Mississippians viewed the abolition of slavery as a direct attack on their economic and social order.
Mississippi’s Initial Rejection
- On December 5, 1865, the Mississippi state legislature refused to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, making it one of only two states (along with Kentucky) that opposed its ratification.
- Mississippi leaders believed that the amendment would destroy their agricultural economy, and many white residents feared that formerly enslaved people would demand full civil rights.
- Instead of embracing the amendment, Mississippi and other Southern states implemented Black Codes—laws designed to control and limit the freedoms of Black people.
These laws severely restricted African Americans’ rights to own property, travel freely, work for fair wages, and access the legal system. Essentially, the Black Codes sought to maintain white supremacy and enforce a system that closely resembled slavery.
Mississippi’s Unofficial Ratification in 1995As time passed, racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, and systematic discrimination against African Americans persisted in Mississippi. While other Southern states officially ratified the Thirteenth Amendment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mississippi refused to do so.
It was not until March 16, 1995, that Mississippi’s legislature finally voted to ratify the amendment—130 years after it had been originally passed by Congress.
What Prompted the 1995 Ratification?
- Symbolic Gesture: By the 1990s, the racial climate in Mississippi had changed significantly. While racism and discrimination still existed, civil rights movements and legal advancements had forced states to recognize equality. Mississippi lawmakers likely saw the 1995 ratification as a symbolic step toward racial reconciliation.
- Historical Oversight: Mississippi’s failure to ratify the amendment had become an embarrassment, particularly as the state attempted to move past its history of racial discrimination.
- Public Pressure: Historians and civil rights activists had drawn attention to the fact that Mississippi had never ratified the amendment, leading to increased public scrutiny.
After passing both houses of the state legislature, the amendment was signed by then-Governor Kirk Fordice. However, due to an administrative oversight, Mississippi never officially submitted its ratification document to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
This meant that even though Mississippi had symbolically ratified the Thirteenth Amendment in 1995, the U.S. government had no official record of it.
The 2013 Certification – Mississippi Finally Makes It OfficialThe error was discovered in 2012 by Dr. Ranjan Batra, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He came across the oversight while watching the film Lincoln (2012), which depicts the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.
After doing some research, Batra and his colleague Ken Sullivan found that Mississippi had never formally notified the U.S. Archivist about its ratification of the amendment. This led to efforts to correct the mistake.
The Final Steps
- On January 30, 2013, Mississippi finally submitted its ratification documents to the National Archives.
- On February 7, 2013, the U.S. government officially recognized Mississippi’s ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment—nearly 148 years after it had been passed by Congress.
Why Did It Take So Long?
- Lack of Awareness: The failure to submit the 1995 ratification document was largely due to administrative oversight rather than active opposition.
- Deep-Rooted Resistance: Although the legislative vote in 1995 suggested that Mississippi lawmakers had accepted the amendment, the state’s history of racial discrimination meant that there was little urgency to complete the process.
- A Complex Racial History: Mississippi had long struggled with its history of segregation, voter suppression, and racial violence. Ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment symbolized an attempt to move forward, but it was largely seen as a formality by that time.
A Reflection of Racial Tensions in the U.S.
Mississippi’s delayed ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment serves as a reminder of the deep racial divisions that have existed in the United States, particularly in the South. While the Civil War ended in 1865, and legal segregation was dismantled by the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the struggle for racial justice has continued.
The Symbolic Importance of 2013 Certification
While Mississippi’s failure to officially ratify the Thirteenth Amendment did not have any legal implications—since slavery had already been abolished nationwide—the final certification in 2013 served as an acknowledgment of past injustices.
It also demonstrated how historical events can have long-lasting consequences. The late ratification showed that Mississippi was still grappling with its past, and it was a small but significant step toward acknowledging and addressing historical wrongs.
Conclusion
Mississippi’s late certification of the Thirteenth Amendment is a unique chapter in American history, revealing both the resistance to and eventual acceptance of slavery’s abolition in the Deep South. The state’s refusal to ratify the amendment in 1865, its unofficial ratification in 1995, and the final certification in 2013 highlight the complexities of race relations in the United States.
While slavery legally ended in 1865, its social and economic consequences persisted for decades. The long delay in Mississippi’s certification of the Thirteenth Amendment serves as a powerful reminder that historical injustices must be acknowledged to pave the way for progress and racial reconciliation.
Photo from wikipedia
0 Comment to "Mississippi Officially Certifies the Thirteenth Amendment in 2013, Ending a 148-Year Delay in Ratification"
Post a Comment