VanderVelde on Henry Wilson and the 13th Amendment

Lea S. VanderVelde, University of Iowa College of Law, has posted Henry Wilson: Cobbler of the Frayed Constitution, Strategist of the Thirteenth Amendment, which appears in the Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy 15 (2017): 173-264:

Henry Wilson (LC)

This article explores the extraordinary but rarely recognized contribution of Senator Henry Wilson in accomplishing the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, motivated as he was by free labor ideology. Wilson played a key role in directing the strategic moves made by Congress to prepare the ground for passage of the Thirteenth Amendment and for its implementation. Born into poverty, Wilson worked his way up as a cobbler, developing along the way a strong commitment to the work ethic and the Republican ‘free labor’ ideology. Free labor ideology informed his opposition to slavery and advocacy on behalf of oppressed workers. Understanding Wilson’s free labor ideology has important implications for understanding the Thirteenth Amendment as a broader and more profound enactment designed to eliminate caste, class, and racial distinctions beyond simply banning chattel slavery. A deeper understanding of Wilson’s thoughts and deeds is valuable to our contemporary debates regarding the amendment and its continuing role in our republic.