1865: Slavery Abolished in Missouri

On January 11, 1865, elected delegates to the 1865 State Constitutional Convention in St. Louis passed an ordinance abolishing slavery in Missouri.

The ordinance passed three weeks before the U.S. Congress proposed the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. Missouri was the eight state to ratify the thirteenth amendment, the 17th state to ratify the fourteenth amendment granting citizenship to all Black people, and the 21st to ratify the fifteenth amendment securing the right to vote. To read the text of each amendment, visit the National Archives webpage here.