The Corwin Amendment aimed to shield slavery from federal power and prevent the outbreak of war following the 1860 presidential election. It sought to reconcile sections or avoid further secession during the turmoil of December 1860.
The House voted 133 to 65 to approve Corwin's version on the 28th of February 1861, which barely exceeded the two-thirds threshold needed for passage. The Senate took up the amendment on the 2nd of March 1861, and passed it with a final vote of 24 to 12 on the 4th of March 1861.
Kentucky ratified the amendment on the 4th of April 1861, Ohio approved it on the 13th of May 1861 before rescinding ratification on the 31st of March 1864, Rhode Island approved it on the 31st of May 1861, Maryland ratified it on the 10th of January 1862 but later rescinded approval on the 7th of April 2014, Illinois ratified it on the 2nd of June 1863 and subsequently rescinded ratification on the 4th of April 2022, and the Restored Government of Virginia approved it on the 13th of February 1862.
Outgoing President James Buchanan signed the Congressional joint resolution on the 4th of March 1861 as an unprecedented step to endorse the measure. His signature was unnecessary since the President has no formal role in the constitutional amendment process, yet he lent his name to this failed compromise effort alongside incoming president Abraham Lincoln.
The text refers to slavery with terms such as domestic institutions and persons held to labor or service while avoiding the word slavery entirely. This approach followed the example set at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which used comparable descriptions like Person held to Service.