Critenden-Johnson Resolution

Crittenden-Johnson Resolution. Passed by the 37th United States Congress in July 1861, this joint resolution was a pivotal early political statement defining the Union's war aims at the outset of the American Civil War. Sponsored by John J. Crittenden of Kentucky and Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, it explicitly stated that the conflict was being waged not to interfere with slavery but solely to preserve the Constitution and maintain the Union. The resolution represented a crucial attempt to retain the loyalty of the border slave states and to unify a fractured Congress and public behind President Abraham Lincoln's administration.

Background and context

In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Fort Sumter and the secession of the Confederate states, the U.S. Congress was not in session, leaving President Abraham Lincoln to act unilaterally in calling for volunteers and instituting a naval blockade. When Congress convened in special session on July 4, 1861, the nation was deeply divided, with critical border states like Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland still in the balance. Many politicians from these regions, including influential Senator John J. Crittenden, were adamant that the war's purpose must be restricted to restoring the Union, not abolishing the institution of slavery. This position was shared by Senator Andrew Johnson, a Democrat from the seceded state of Tennessee who remained loyal to the Washington government. The resolution was crafted to provide a clear, limited war aim that could garner broad bipartisan support and prevent further secession.

Provisions and text

The text of the resolution was concise and direct, consisting of two declarative clauses. It resolved "that the present deplorable civil war has been forced upon the country by the disunionists of the southern states" and that "this war is not waged upon our part in any spirit of oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or established institutions of those states, but to defend and maintain the supremacy of the Constitution and to preserve the Union." The phrase "established institutions" was a universally understood euphemism for slavery, thereby explicitly disavowing abolitionism as a war aim. This language was designed to reassure slaveholders in the border states and Northern Democrats that the Republican administration would not use the conflict to enact a radical social revolution.

Legislative history and passage

Introduced as House Joint Resolution 80, the measure enjoyed overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans seeking a unified national stance. It passed the House of Representatives on July 22, 1861, by a vote of 117 to 2, with notable support from leaders like Thaddeus Stevens. The Senate passed it two days later on July 24 by a vote of 30 to 5. President Abraham Lincoln had no formal role in signing the resolution, but his administration tacitly endorsed it as a necessary political measure. The nearly unanimous votes reflected a Congress rallying behind the flag, though this unity masked deep underlying divisions over the future of slavery that would soon reemerge.

Impact and significance

The resolution's immediate impact was largely political and symbolic, serving as an official congressional endorsement of Abraham Lincoln's stated position that the paramount object was saving the Union. It successfully helped solidify support in the border states, with figures like John J. Crittenden using it to argue for continued loyalty to the federal government. However, its significance was inherently temporary. The resolution created a strategic and moral contradiction for the Union war effort, as it prohibited interference with the very institution—slavery—that underpinned the Confederacy's economic and social structure. This limitation quickly became untenable as escaped slaves fled to Union lines and more radical Republicans began advocating for emancipation as a military necessity.

Aftermath and legacy

The political consensus embodied by the resolution proved short-lived. Within a year, military realities and rising abolitionist pressure led Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation following the Battle of Antietam. In direct repudiation of the resolution's guarantees, the proclamation declared that slaves in rebellious states would be freed. Congress formally erased the earlier measure by passing a new resolution in December 1861, stating that the war should be prosecuted for the purpose of destroying slavery. The Crittenden-Johnson Resolution is now primarily viewed by historians as a revealing artifact of the war's initial, conservative phase—a failed attempt to fight a limited war for a limited objective. Its rapid obsolescence highlighted the transformative nature of the Civil War, which evolved from a conflict to restore the old Union into a revolutionary struggle that ultimately destroyed slavery and reshaped the Constitution through amendments like the Thirteenth Amendment.

Category:1861 in American law Category:American Civil War resolutions of the United States Congress Category:37th United States Congress