Dec. 6, 1865

Courtesy: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana.

The state of Georgia provided the final vote needed for the 13th Amendment to become part of the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” 

Two days before, Mississippi lawmakers had rejected ratification. In 1995, the Mississippi Legislature, trying to rectify the historic mistake, voted to ratify the anti-slavery amendment. Because of a paperwork snafu, the vote didn’t become official until 2013.

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The stories of investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. His stories have also helped free two people from death row, exposed injustices and corruption, prompting investigations and reforms as well as the firings of boards and officials. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a longtime member of Investigative Reporters & Editors, and a winner of more than 30 other national awards, including a $500,000 MacArthur “genius” grant. After working for three decades for the statewide Clarion-Ledger, Mitchell left in 2019 and founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting.