April 4, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln visited the former Confederate capital of Richmond the day after its fall. Rear Admiral David D. Porter, commanding
Category: Slavery
Confederate Slave Recruitment
March 13, 1865 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis signed a bill into law authorizing the recruitment of slaves into the Confederate armies. The bill had
The Freedmen’s Bureau
March 3, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law establishing the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, which became known as
The Thirteenth Amendment: Ratification Begins
February 23, 1865 – Minnesota became the 15th state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution permanently abolishing slavery. On February 1, the
Black Confederate Soldiers
February 20, 1865 – The Confederate House of Representatives approved a measure allowing for the recruitment of slaves into the military. The “Negro Soldier Law”
Compensated Emancipation and the Hampton Roads Fallout
February 10, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln unveiled a new plan for slave emancipation, and members of Congress demanded to know what happened at Hampton Roads.