Slavery is America's original sin. And yet, as Frederick Douglass argued, “Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not a sentence or syllable of the Constitution need be altered.” On Feb. 16, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society continues our series on the Constitution with a study of the 13th Amendment: its battle for, impact of, and legacy today. Our featured guest to lead this still important conversation, is award-winning Professor of U.S. History and Law at Duke University, Dr. Thavolia Glymph, an elected Executive Board Member of the Society of American Historians.
During our event, we will explore the economic impact of slavery, both as a Southern institution, but also as a driver of Northern manufacturing; and discuss Lincoln's views on the constitutionality of slavery, the legal basis for the Emancipation Proclamation, and why the 13th Amendment was still necessary even after Lincoln “freed the slaves.” Finally, we will detail the immeasurable impact of the 13th Amendment on African Americans and our society, and why we still grapple with the history of slavery in a nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
The Society's theme for 2023 is Crises & Heroes: How Our Nation Has Long Endured. On February 16, we will highlight the role that the 13th Amendment played in saving such a nation.
Dr. Glymph is Associate Chair of the Duke University Department of History and specializes in southern and nineteenth-century social history. Her recent book, The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, won the 2021 Beveridge Award as the best English-language book on American history. Her first book, Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household won the 2009 Philip Taft Labor History Book Award. Dr. Glymph is a past President of the Southern Historical Association and a current elected member of the Society of American Historians, the American Antiquarian Society, and the Board of Directors of the Gettysburg Foundation.
Register for this event here