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Northern Democrats who were leaving office. Despite

many setbacks, Lincoln and the GOP were able to secure
sufficient votes needed to not only push the bill to a
vote in the Senate, but to send a powerful message to

the Confederacy that preservation of slavery will not be
a bargaining chip of negotiation as the war came to an

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end. On April 8, 1864 the US Senate passed the 13
Amendment.

President Lincoln’s labor was rewarded. On November 8,
1864 voters overwhelmingly endorsed his leadership

and policies by re-electing him to a second term. His re-
election shattered any hopes for the Confederacy to

gain a negotiated settlement. Complete and
unconditional surrender was now their only option.

The year 1865 started as a landslide of successes for
President Lincoln. On January 31, 1865 the US House of

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Representatives passed the 13 Amendment. President
Lincoln signed it on February 1, 1865 and forwarded it to

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the states for ratification. The success of the 13
Amendment led to the passage of additional landmark

legislation as the nation moved into reconstruction. In
preparation for the coming period of reconstruction,

President Lincoln and the Republican Party passed the:

The “Freedmen’s Bill” of March 3, 1865 – this bill

provided assistance to newly freed slaves and to poor

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