On February 7, 2013, the state of Mississippi officially ratified the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery. Of course the Constitutional amendment was adopted 148 years ago, on December 6, 1865, after ratification by 27 other states, but the Mississippi legislature, miffed that Magnolia State slave owners weren’t compensated for their loss of human property, voted against it.
Actually, Mississippi ratified the amendment in 1995 but never notified the Federal government, so the act wasn’t official. This oversight was discovered by Dr. Ranjan Batra, professor of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, after he saw the movie Lincoln and searched the Internet. Dr Batra told his Ole Miss colleague Ken Sullivan, and he informed Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who sent a copy of the 1995 state resolution to Washington, and when it was received by the Office of the Federal Register on February 7th, ratification became official.
So henceforth neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States — even in Mississippi.
Related:
“With All Deliberate Speed, Mississippi Officially Ratifies The Thirteenth Amendment,” Elie Mystal, Above the Law
“Mississippi ‘forgot’ to abolish slavery,” John Aravosis, Americablog
“Is There A Late Fee For This?” Charles P. Pierce, Esquire blog
“Mississippi finally abolishes slavery officially — thanks to Indian-American professor,” Hans Ongsansoy, Vancouver Desi
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Tags: abolition, human rights, Mississippi, slavery, Thirteenth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
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