SR0110 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0110 LRB099 07778 JWD 28302 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois was the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery; and

WHEREAS, The proposed Constitutional Amendment received final approval by Congress and was sent to the states for ratification on January 31, 1865; and

WHEREAS, United States Senator Lyman Trumbull of Illinois, a co-author of the proposed Constitutional Amendment, promptly sent a telegram asking that "Illinois be the first to ratify" to Governor Richard J. Oglesby, who immediately sent a message to the General Assembly calling for immediate ratification, saying: "It is just, it is humane, it is right to do so."; and

WHEREAS, Ratification was effected by a joint resolution offered in the Senate on the morning of February 1, 1865, where it was adopted by a vote of 18-6; it then moved on to the House of Representatives, where it was adopted before 4 o'clock that same day by a vote of 48-28; and

WHEREAS, Following ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the General Assembly also repealed odious laws that discriminated against African-Americans; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the State of Illinois for the being the first state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the actions of the Twenty-Fourth General Assembly in taking further steps to repeal discriminatory laws.