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 History (1883) - The U.S. Supreme Court declares part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional. One hundred eight years later, the majority Democratic Senate votes to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, 52-48.