Dilatory Delaware

On Dec. 18, 1865 the people of the U. S. formally abolished slavery. On July 28, 1868 they granted citizenship to all natives and naturalized persons, guaranteed due process of law for every citizen, disqualified for Federal office Confederate leaders who had broken their oath to support the Constitution. On March 30, 1870 they clinched the franchise for Negroes. These acts were the proclamations of Johnson's Secretary of State William Henry Seward and Grant's Secretary of State Hamilton Fish, three-fourths of the States having notified the Secretary in each instance that they had ratified the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

Confederate leaders were granted amnesty. Chicago burned down; Ed Stokes shot Jim Fisk. Secretary Seward died. Charley Ross was kidnapped; Steve Brodie jumped off Brooklyn Bridge; the Maine blew up. And on Feb. 12, 1901 Delaware ratified the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

The reconstructed South continued to keep the Negro in his political place. San Francisco burned down; Harry Thaw shot Stanford White ; the 16th, 17th, 18th, 1 9th and 20th Amendments to the Constitution were ratified; Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped; Cordell Hull became Secretary of State. And on April 8, 1935, Delaware's Secretary of State solemnly notified Secretary Hull that Delaware had ratified the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

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