13th Amendment

May 17, 2013

Brown v. Harlan

Filed Under: 13th Amendment, 14th Amendment, Brown v. Board of Education, color-blind Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Originalism, Plessy v. Ferguson

The 59^th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education should recall what that great decision did not do—overturn the racial segregation precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Only by revisiting Justice Harlan’s classic dissent would segregation and Jim Crow …

Dec 12, 2012

Lincoln’s Signing of the 13th Amendment

Blog Post
by Mike Rappaport / 1 Comment

Filed Under: 13th Amendment

On Facebook, someone criticized the Lincoln movie for inaccuracy on the ground that the President said he wanted to sign the 13th Amendment, but presidents don’t sign amendments.

But the movie is correct: Lincoln signed the 13^th Amendment. The …

Dec 9, 2012

Lincoln: The Movie

Blog Post
by Mike Rappaport / 2 Comments

Filed Under: 13th Amendment, Lincoln

I caught Lincoln last night, which I greatly enjoyed. Spielberg’s directing, Kushner’s writing, and a first rate cast make it a truly enjoyable movie. One test I have for a movie is how many times I look at my watch. …