Lincoln, the 13th Amendment, and Political Maneuvering
Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance in Lincoln (2012) brought attention to the political reality behind the passage of the 13th Amendment. While Abraham Lincoln is often portrayed as a noble leader, he was also a skilled political operator who used bribery, coercion, and wartime power to ensure the amendment passed before the Civil War ended.
Lincoln also understood that if the war was lost, the Supreme Court would likely strike down his wartime policies, including the Emancipation Proclamation. His political maneuvers ensured the amendment passed before peace negotiations could interfere.
The 13th Amendment: Abolishing Slavery
Before the 13th Amendment, Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), which only freed slaves in Confederate states still in rebellion. However:
- The proclamation was a wartime executive order with no guarantee of lasting legal effect.
- Border states and areas under Union control were not affected by it.
- If the war ended before an amendment was passed, courts could strike down emancipation as unconstitutional.
Thus, Lincoln pushed for a permanent constitutional amendment to ensure slavery was abolished nationwide.
Lincoln’s Political Strategy to Pass the 13th Amendment
The House of Representatives initially rejected the amendment in June 1864. Lincoln and his Republican allies realized they needed Democratic votes to get the two-thirds majority required to pass it.
Bribery and Patronage Jobs
- Lincoln’s administration offered federal jobs, judgeships, and other political favors to persuade lame-duck Democratic congressmen to switch their votes.
- William Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State, personally handled the backroom deals, ensuring that the necessary votes were secured.
- Some Democrats were given cushy government positions after leaving office as a direct result of their cooperation.
Delaying Peace Negotiations
- In early 1865, Confederate leaders were exploring possible peace talks.
- If the war ended before the amendment passed, many moderate Republicans might have lost the sense of urgency to vote for it.
- Lincoln deliberately stalled peace efforts to maintain momentum for the amendment.
Fear and Pressure
- Lincoln and his allies warned Democrats that rejecting the amendment would make them look like Confederate sympathizers.
- Some congressmen were pressured with the possibility of being labeled as traitors or complicit in prolonging the war.
The Final Vote: January 31, 1865
- The amendment passed the House by a vote of 119 to 56—just barely reaching the two-thirds requirement.
- Several Democrats changed their votes at the last minute due to the deals Lincoln’s administration had made.
The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification and was formally adopted on December 6, 1865.
Lincoln’s Fear of the Supreme Court
Lincoln understood that the courts posed a major threat to his policies. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger Taney (until his death in 1864), had ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) that Black people could not be citizens.
- If the war ended without a constitutional amendment, the Court could declare the Emancipation Proclamation unconstitutional.
- If a new president (perhaps a Democrat) took office, they could repeal Lincoln’s wartime measures.
- The Chase Court (under new Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase) was unpredictable, and Lincoln knew it was safer to amend the Constitution rather than rely on the courts.
This was one reason why he made passing the amendment his top priority before the war ended.
Was Lincoln Justified?
Arguments in Favor
- Abolishing slavery was a moral and national necessity.
- Lincoln’s actions prevented the Supreme Court from undoing progress.
- Bribery and coercion were necessary to secure lasting change.
- The Civil War’s bloodshed justified aggressive political maneuvers.
Arguments Against
- Lincoln’s tactics set a dangerous precedent for executive overreach.
- Bribing congressmen undermined democratic integrity.
- Deliberately delaying peace talks may have cost more lives.
- The federal government expanded its power in ways that later administrations would abuse.
Thoughts
Lincoln was a strategic and ruthless politician. The passage of the 13th Amendment was the result of bribery, political favors, and calculated war strategy.
However, had Lincoln failed, the Supreme Court and future administrations could have undone his work. His controversial tactics ensured that slavery was abolished permanently—but they also changed the nature of executive power in America forever.
How Corporations Used the 14th Amendment
- In Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad (1886), the Supreme Court recognized corporations as “persons” under the 14th Amendment, granting them legal protections.
- This ruling gave corporations the ability to manipulate laws and avoid government oversight, setting the foundation for modern corporate dominance.
- Over time, corporate monopolies, banking interests, and lobbying power grew to control policy, limiting individual freedoms while strengthening corporate rule.
Essentially, slavery was abolished for individuals but evolved into a system where corporations control labor, resources, and policy, making the general population economic slaves.
The Evolution of Corporate Enslavement in the 20th & 21st Century
The Wage Slave System
- The industrial revolution created low-wage factory jobs, keeping workers dependent on corporations.
- The Federal Reserve (1913) and central banking system ensured people were always in debt-based slavery through inflation and controlled wages.
- Henry Ford and others promoted mass consumerism, making people slaves to corporate products, mortgages, and never-ending financial obligations.
The Military-Industrial Complex
- World Wars expanded corporate power, as arms manufacturers and defense contractors (e.g., Lockheed Martin, Boeing) profited from perpetual war.
- Government contracts ensured corporations controlled national policy, shifting power from the people to the elites.
The Digital Age & Technocratic Control
- Big Tech (Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc.) now controls information, surveillance, and human behavior.
- AI and automation are eliminating jobs, forcing people into dependency on corporate/government welfare.
- Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and social credit systems could further enslave people under corporate-government control.
The Corporate-Controlled Future: The Ultimate Enslavement?
Corporations, backed by governments, have shifted slavery from a legal institution to an economic and technological system. The tools of control include:
- Debt and inflation (financial slavery)
- Prison labor and forced work programs
- Mass surveillance and digital control
- AI-driven automation that eliminates economic independence
- Government-corporate alliances that undermine individual rights
This modern form of enslavement is not as obvious as chattel slavery, but it achieves the same goal: keeping people controlled, dependent, and unable to break free from the system.
From Physical Chains to Economic Chains
The 13th Amendment freed the slaves but created a loophole for corporate and government forces to enslave society in a new way.
- Physical slavery was abolished, but economic and corporate slavery replaced it.
- The prison-industrial complex exploits the exception clause to maintain forced labor.
- Corporations hijacked constitutional protections to gain power over governments and individuals.
- Big Tech, AI, and financial institutions are now finalizing a digital control grid.
The chains of slavery have become invisible, but they are tighter than ever.
