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2/6/2026
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Solomon seeks to right historic wrong by rescinding Rhode Island’s support of pro-slavery amendment
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 STATE HOUSE — As Rhode Island and the rest of the country celebrate Black History Month, Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. is looking to reverse an 1861 action of the General Assembly that ratified an amendment that would have protected the institution of slavery for all time.
In 1861, just before the start of the Civil War, Congress made a last-ditch effort to appease the southern states by passing a constitutional amendment that, if ratified, would have constitutionally protected slavery for all time. The Corwin Amendment, named after Thomas Corwin, the Ohio congressman who sponsored it, just squeaked out the two-thirds majority it needed in Congress before being sent out to the state legislatures for ratification.
Had it received approval from three-fourths of the states, it would have become the 13th Amendment., but the Southern states all seceded shortly thereafter and the amendment died. But while it never gained any traction, five states, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio and Rhode Island, gave the amendment their seal of approval.
“The fact that Rhode Island remains a signatory on this awful amendment is an embarrassing blot on this state and this General Assembly, especially in light of the fact that a mere four years later, this same legislature would overwhelmingly ratify a different 13th Amendment, banning slavery for good,” said Representative Solomon (D-Dist. 22, Warwick), who has introduced a resolution (2026-H 7579) to rescind Rhode Island’s ratification of the amendment. “I hope my colleagues in both the House and Senate will join me in righting this historic wrong and bringing some justice that’s 165 years overdue.”
The Rhode Island House of Representatives approved ratification of the amendment, 43-18 on May 31, 1861. The Senate passed it unanimously.
Three states have since rescinded their ratification, most recently Illinois in 2022, leaving only Rhode Island and Kentucky as signatories. The Corwin Amendment would have prevented any change to the U.S. Constitution that sought to interfere with a state’s “domestic institutions,” including “that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State.”
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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