WORLD A7
)&&)1
#(SRFK7LPHV:RUOG)(1#..,
),."&.-.#(1),&(1-
FEBRUARY 21 – 27, 2013
Mississippi officially outlaws
slavery 150 years late
CARLOS ALVAREZ/GETTY IMAGES
BY JACK PHILLIPS
EPOCH TIMES STAFF
Nearly 150 years after U.S. Congress voted to abolish it, slavery still has not been officially
banned in Mississippi—until
now.
It was not until 1995, decades
after other states made the
decision, that Mississippi voted to ratify the 13th Amendment, which outlaws slavery.
However, lawmakers never
submitted the paperwork and
the amendment was not officially adopted in Mississippi.
While watching the 2012 film
“Lincoln,” a University of Mississippi associate professor of
neurobiology and anatomical
science, Dr. Ranjan Batra, had
his curiosity piqued, prompting him to delve into researching whether slavery was ever
officially abolished in his state.
Batra found that the paperwork had never been sent
to the Office of the Federal
Register (OFR), and he shared
his findings with co-worker
Ken Sullivan, an anatomical
material specialist with the
university.
That weekend, Sullivan took
his family to see “Lincoln,”
and he said that when “people
stood up and applauded at the
end of it,” he knew that he had
to do something about Mississippi having never approved
the 13th Amendment, reported
the Jackson Clarion-Ledger
newspaper. “I felt very connected to the history,” he said.
Sullivan said that he contacted Mississippi Secretary
of State Delbert Hosemann’s
office, which then made the
paperwork official. Hosemann
described it as “long overdue,”
wrote the Clarion-Ledger.
Former Mississippi Secretary of State Dick Molpus said
(L-R) Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, director Steven Spielberg and actress Sally Field attend the “Lincoln”
photocall at Casa de America on Jan. 16 in Madrid, Spain. The fi lm inspired a Mississippi resident
to follow through to resolve an error in filing the 13th Amendment, which outlaws slavery, in that
state.
Lawmakers never submitted
the paperwork to have the 13th
Amendment, which outlaws slavery,
officially adopted in Mississippi.
that it was unclear why the
1995 copy of the resolution
was never sent to the federal
government.
“What an amendment to have
an error in filing,” Molpus told
the newspaper. “Thanks to Ken
Sullivan for being a good citizen in bringing this oversight
to light, so it can be corrected.”
The OFR got a copy of the resolution in late January and officially ratified the amendment
on Feb. 7. “With this action, the
State of Mississippi has ratified
the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution of the United
States,” wrote Charles A. Barth,
director of the Federal Register,
according to the newspaper.
By the time Congress voted
on the 13th Amendment in
1865, 36 states had already
adopted it. Most states
approved the amendment in
the late 1800s, although Kentucky did not ratify it until
1976. In 1865, Mississippi state
lawmakers said that they were
angry that the government
would not reimburse them for
freed slaves.
Mississippi was also the
last state to repeal the Great
Depression-era prohibition of
alcohol, doing so in 1965.
Sen. Hillman Frazier, who
introduced the bill in 1995,
told the paper that voting to
approve the 13th Amendment
was “unanimous,” adding,
“Some didn’t vote, but we didn’t
receive a ‘nay’ vote.”
Bulgarian prime
minister resigns, political
uncertainty reigns
BY TARA MACISAAC
EPOCH TIMES STAFF
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko
Borisov’s resignation will affect
the political future of the country—saving his party from losing
more popularity and forcing an
early election—but the long-term
effect on Bulgaria’s economy may
be minimal.
Faced with widespread protest against austerity measures,
particularly a hike in electricity
prices, Borisov announced his
resignation Wednesday.
Ruslan Stefanov, economic
program director at the Centre
for the Study of Democracy in
Bulgaria, said the factors that
have the greatest impact on the
nation’s economy have already
been decided.
“The budget of the country is
clear and EU funds, an important
source of fresh public investment,
have been agreed upon with the
European Commission, including
for the period 2014–2020,” wrote
Stefanov in an email.
Short-term economic policy
decisions will be impacted but
will not necessarily diverge significantly from decisions Borisov
would have made.
“The PM is likely to retain some
influence over the work of the
caretaker government as it will
be appointed by the president
(former minister in the PM’s government),” wrote Stefanov.
Borisov’s party, Citizens for
European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), holds a majority of
the seats in Parliament. Interior
Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told
reporters Wednesday that GERB
will not partake in talks to form
a new government, according to
Reuters.
An election was due in July but
will likely be held early. Political
uncertainty reigns, according to
Stefanov, as there is no clear contender for the position.
DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov arrives for the start of
the European Council meeting on Feb. 7 in Brussels, Belgium.
Borisov resigned amid protests concerning austerity measures,
yet economic policies may not change much without him.
The Biggest Names in the Service Industry
The Place to
Find Your Home
Professional
ei ei home.com
EiEihome.com is one of Canada’s largest
home renovation websites. Search from
over 200,000 contractors, read authentic
customer reviews, and zero-in on the
best professionals in your area. Turn your
keyboard into your most powerful home
renovation tool.
Visit EiEihome.com today.
1-877-932-EiEi (3434)
Media Sponsors
>90;,(9,=0,>(5+.,;(
:;(9)<*2:
*(9+
Visit eieihome.com for more details.
Featured Service Professionals
MIKE’S
APPLIANCE
SERVICING
&,7<
$LU&RQGLWLRQLQJDQG
+HDWLQJ,QVWDOODWLRQV