JANUARY 9, 1865:
Tennessee
abolishes slavery.
The debate on the Thirteenth Amendment goes on
in the House of Representatives. Slowly, President Lincoln is winning over
members of the fractious House.
While
the Northern Congress argues over abolishing slavery, so does the Southern
Congress. There is much resistance to the idea (in both Congresses), and the
idea of arming slaves to fight remains anathema to most Southrons.
Complicating
the debate are rumors of Francis Preston Blair’s supposedly secret trip to
Richmond to discuss peace with Jefferson Davis. The idea that the end of the
war may be imminent stiffens the back of the slaveocracy, Northern and
Southern.
