13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on February 1, 1865. It was a move to solidify and enforce the federal restrictions of the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued January 1, 1863. The amendment formally ended slavery but to become official it required 27 of the 36 states to ratify the resolution. Ratification was complete on December 6 and the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, issued a proclamation validating ratification of the 13th amendment on December 18, 1865.
