Today in History (1862) - The U.S. government forbids all Union army officers from returning fugitive slaves, thus effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. On the same day in 1865, the Confederate Congress voted to enlist 300,000 black troops, granting them freedom with the consent of their owners. Lee surrendered a few weeks later.
Today in Constitutional History (1870) - The 15th Amendment, prohibiting slavery, is passed. Forty three years later, the 16th Amendment is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income tax. Coincidence?