December 19
1866: South Carolina rejects the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which contains, in the first section, the Citizenship Clause, the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, and the Equal Protection Clause. It also includes the 3/5 Compromise to apportion the House of Representatives, the Electoral College, felony disenfranchisement, disqualification for those involved in “rebellion and insurrection,” the affirmation of public debt and the authorization of congressional enforcement.
December 24
1856: Robert Smalls marries Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid five years his senior. It was Smalls’ first marriage.
— Compiled by Mike McCombs