Minutes from the Constitutional Convention of 1864

The March 9, 1864, minutes from the Virginia Constitutional Convention in Alexandria provide a report from the convention's Committee on Emancipation and Education about proposed changes to the state constitution. The first section of the report reads, "Slavery and involuntary servitude (except for crime) is hereby abolished and prohibited in the State forever," a provision that was approved the following day. After the vote, church bells tolled and 100 guns were fired in the city to celebrate the abolition of slavery in Virginia.