On April 8, 1864 the Senate passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The second draft of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, prepared by John Dickinson and completed no later than June 17, 1776, declared "The name of this Confederation shall be the 'United States of America'
 A combination of court decisions and legislation, culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1968, made significant improvements

