THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Scope of Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation—Amendment of the Constitution to abolish slavery—First proposals by Wilson, of Iowa, and Henderson, of Missouri—Trumbull reports the Thirteenth Amendment from the Senate Judiciary Committee—His argument thereon—Speeches of Senators Henderson and Reverdy Johnson—Amendment passes the Senate, but fails in the House—Second attempt in the House successful by a trade with Democrats—Amendment ratified—Objections raised by Southern States explained away by Seward222
RECONSTRUCTION
Death of Lincoln—Conflict of opinions concerning the status of the seceding states—Lincoln's proclamation of December, 1863—Reconstruction of Louisiana in pursuance thereof—Trumbull reports a joint resolution admitting that state—Sumner prevents the Senate from voting on it—Lincoln's last speech on Reconstruction—His plan indorsed by William Lloyd Garrison—Andrew Johnson as President adopts it—Recognizes Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas as restored to the Union—Issues an executive order appointing a governor of North Carolina to call a constitutional convention—Negroes not included in the list of voters—Similar orders issued for the other seceding states—Wendell Phillips sounds a blast against President Johnson—Northern newspapers at first favorable to Johnson—Desperate industrial condition of the South231
ANDREW JOHNSON'S FIRST MESSAGE
Excellent tone and temper of Johnson's first communication to Congress—Written by George Bancroft—Eulogy of the New York Nation—Johnson's early life and training—A first-rate stump-speaker—Sumner attacks Johnson for "whitewashing" the ex-slaveholders—Acts of Southern legislatures passed to keep the negroes in order—Senator Wilson moves that all such acts establishing inequality of civil rights be declared invalid—Trumbull argues for postponement of such legislation until the Thirteenth Amendment is ratified—Debate between Trumbull and Saulsbury—Reports of General Grant and General Carl Schurz on the condition and temper of the Southern people—Letter from J. L. M. Curry on the same244
THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU AND CIVIL RIGHTS BILLS