The Death Blow is Final: The 13th Amendment is Validated

Date: December 9, 2015
Contact: Kim Coons, 423-752-5213 x139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a free, one hour program at Bethlehem-Wiley United Methodist Church, 500 Lookout Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, on Saturday, December 19 at 2 pm.This program will explore the final steps in validating the 13^th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

On December 18, 1865, United States Secretary of State Henry Seward stepped onto the world stage by acknowledging the ratification of the 13^th Amendment and certifying the amendment's validity. With this statement, the dehumanizing institution of slavery was finally dead, never to be revived or resurrected. Jubilation struck the country as four years of bloody strife came to an end and freedom was set to usher in a new year. We hope you will be able to join us as we examine the amendment and the hope it continues to bring to millions living in the United States of America.