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Created page with text and effects. Interesting issue...
The '''Corwin Amendment''' was an unratified amendment to the [[United States Constitution]] proposed by Representative [[Thomas Corwin]] of [[Ohio]] in 1861, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the [[American Civil War]]. It would have prohibited the federal government from ever abolishing [[slavery]].
==Text==
{{QuoteBox|No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give
to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the
domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or
service by the laws of said State.<ref>[http://constitution.org/afterte_.htm#amd1861 Constitutional Amendments, by The Constitution Society]</ref>}}
This amendment would have [[entrenched clause|entrenched]] slavery into the Constitution beyond reach of future amendment, thereby potentially prohibiting the [[Thirteenth Amendment]] from having been adopted.
==Actual Consequences==
The Corwin Amendment represented almost the only proposition every political faction would agree on: Congress should not unilaterally abolish slavery. Outgoing President Buchanan endorsed this amendment, as did President Lincoln in his inaugural address:
{{QuoteBox|I understand a proposed amendment
to the Constitution--which amendment, however, I have not seen--has
passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal Government shall
never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States,
including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction
of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular
amendments so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be
implied Constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express
and irrevocable.<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9 Text from Project Gutenberg]</ref>}}
However, by the time Representative Corwin proposed this amendment, the South had already seceded and organized the [[Confederate States of America]]. Even if the northern states would have ratified his amendment, it would probably not have been a sufficient condition for peace. Only two states ever ratified this amendment<ref>http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/eamc_02/eamc_02_00639.html</ref>.
While technically still open for ratification, no state has ratified it since the Civil War ended. Since Corwin continued the then-current constitutional policy of never referring to slavery by name, adopting the amendment would definitely not re-establish slavery. However, it could potentially prevent the Federal government from legislating in many local matters.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Text==
{{QuoteBox|No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give
to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the
domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or
service by the laws of said State.<ref>[http://constitution.org/afterte_.htm#amd1861 Constitutional Amendments, by The Constitution Society]</ref>}}
This amendment would have [[entrenched clause|entrenched]] slavery into the Constitution beyond reach of future amendment, thereby potentially prohibiting the [[Thirteenth Amendment]] from having been adopted.
==Actual Consequences==
The Corwin Amendment represented almost the only proposition every political faction would agree on: Congress should not unilaterally abolish slavery. Outgoing President Buchanan endorsed this amendment, as did President Lincoln in his inaugural address:
{{QuoteBox|I understand a proposed amendment
to the Constitution--which amendment, however, I have not seen--has
passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal Government shall
never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States,
including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction
of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular
amendments so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be
implied Constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express
and irrevocable.<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/9 Text from Project Gutenberg]</ref>}}
However, by the time Representative Corwin proposed this amendment, the South had already seceded and organized the [[Confederate States of America]]. Even if the northern states would have ratified his amendment, it would probably not have been a sufficient condition for peace. Only two states ever ratified this amendment<ref>http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/eamc_02/eamc_02_00639.html</ref>.
While technically still open for ratification, no state has ratified it since the Civil War ended. Since Corwin continued the then-current constitutional policy of never referring to slavery by name, adopting the amendment would definitely not re-establish slavery. However, it could potentially prevent the Federal government from legislating in many local matters.
==References==
{{reflist}}