Abraham Lincoln letter, March 16, 1861

Henry Massie Rector

Courtesy of Old State House Museum, Little Rock, Ark.

Abraham Lincoln, last portrait sitting in Springfield, Ill., before leaving for Washington, D.C. to assume the presidency

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

Location: Arkansas History Commission (Little Rock)
Contents: Communication from Lincoln to Arkansas governor Henry M. Rector concerning a proposed Thirteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. In Feb. 1861, Congress passed a Thirteenth Amendment to guarantee the legality and perpetuity of slavery in the slave states. Pres. James Buchanan signed the resolution passed by the Congress on Mar. 2, 1861, two days before Lincoln was inaugurated. The Civil War began before this amendment could be sent to the states for ratification. Lincoln sent a copy of a resolution to the governors of all states.