As a junior congressman from Illinois, Lincoln drafted a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. His cautious proposal offered payment to slave owners and only emancipated children born after 1850. Lacking support for the bill, Lincoln abandoned it. In 1862, as president, he signed an act emancipating slaves in the nation’s capital.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Congressman Abraham Lincoln’s Draft of a Bill to Abolish Slavery in the District of Columbia, January 1849
Abolishing Slavery
The issue of slavery was not directly addressed by the authors of the Constitution, but by the mid-19th century, slavery became the most divisive issue Congress faced. Petitions against slavery were received as early as the First Congress. As settlers moved west, the question of slavery in the territories periodically dominated Congressional debate. While committed foremost to preserving the Union, Abraham Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery. His plans for gradual emancipation, which recognized states’ rights and the economic ramifications of slavery, were not effective. At the close of the Civil War, Congress passed an amendment to abolish slavery, which was quickly ratified by the states.
As a junior congressman from Illinois, Lincoln drafted a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. His cautious proposal offered payment to slave owners and only emancipated children born after 1850. Lacking support for the bill, Lincoln abandoned it. In 1862, as president, he signed an act emancipating slaves in the nation’s capital.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
