On this day in 1865, Tennessee took a critical step in rejoining the Union by ratifying a new state constitution. Under the leadership of Military Governor Andrew Johnson—appointed by President Abraham Lincoln—the state abolished slavery and formally reversed its secession from the Union.
Johnson, a staunch Unionist from Greeneville in East Tennessee, had been instrumental in preparing the state for reintegration even before his selection as Lincoln’s running mate in the 1864 election. After securing the vice presidency, he remained committed to ensuring Tennessee moved swiftly toward Reconstruction.
The process began with the Union Executive Committee for East Tennessee calling for a state convention in late 1864. Originally scheduled for December, the convention was postponed to January 8, 1865, due to Confederate military action in the state. Ultimately, the convention adopted two key amendments to the state constitution. The first abolished slavery, declaring:
“Slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, are hereby forever abolished and prohibited throughout the state.”
The second ensured that:
“The legislature shall make no law recognizing the right of property in man.”
Additionally, a “schedule” was added, formally nullifying Tennessee’s 1861 decision to secede and join the Confederacy. These changes were ratified by popular vote on February 22, 1865, marking Tennessee as a leader in Reconstruction even before the Civil War had fully ended.
With this work complete, Andrew Johnson departed Tennessee at the end of February to assume the vice presidency. Just weeks later, after Lincoln’s assassination, he would become the nation’s 17th president, tasked with guiding Reconstruction at the national level.
Tennessee’s 1865 constitutional reforms were a turning point, setting the stage for the state’s early return to the Union and shaping the path of Reconstruction in the South.
