![]() He not only enlightens readers about the wheeling and dealing that moved the amendment to the states but also explores the events suggested by his subtitle. Furthermore, he emphasizes the absolute necessity of the amendment to guarantee the various kinds of emancipation prompted by slaves, military men, and politicians that took place during the war. ![]() The author thus recognizes the limits of Lincoln’s actions while restoring Congress to the role of an active and significant agent of liberation. Shifting attention away from Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, Richards focuses on James Ashley, the Ohio congressman who shepherded the Thirteenth Amendment through Congress, thereby playing the crucial role in ending the institution of slavery in the United States. Richards asks an old question within the title of his new book that rarely fails to provoke debate: who freed the slaves? His short answer may surprise some readers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015. ![]() ![]() Who Freed the Slaves? The Fight over the Thirteenth Amendment. ![]()
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