Rhode Island Lawmaker Seeks to Rescind 1861 Slavery Amendment Ratification

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Rhode Island state Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. has introduced a resolution to rescind the Ocean State's 1861 ratification of an amendment that would have protected slavery.

The Corwin Amendment, proposed just before the Civil War, aimed to appease Southern states by constitutionally protecting slavery indefinitely.

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In 1861, Congress passed the Corwin Amendment, named after Ohio Congressman Thomas Corwin, with a two-thirds majority. This amendment was then sent to state legislatures for ratification. Had it been approved by three-fourths of the states, it would have become the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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However, the Southern states seceded shortly after, and the amendment ultimately failed. Despite its failure, five states, including Rhode Island, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, and Ohio, ratified the amendment. The Rhode Island House of Representatives approved the ratification 43-18 on May 31, 1861. The Senate passed it unanimously.

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"The fact that Rhode Island remains a signatory on this awful amendment is an embarrassing blot on this state and this General Assembly, especially in light of the fact that a mere four years later, this same legislature would overwhelmingly ratify a different 13th Amendment, banning slavery for good," Solomon said in a media release."

"I hope my colleagues in both the House and Senate will join me in righting this historic wrong and bringing some justice that’s 165 years overdue," Solomon said.

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The Corwin Amendment would have prevented any changes to the U.S. Constitution that interfered with a state's "domestic institutions," including "that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State." Three states have since rescinded their ratification, with Illinois being the most recent in 2022. This leaves Rhode Island and Kentucky as the only remaining states that have not rescinded their support for the amendment. The resolution seeks to address this historical record.

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