Add background information on the 1864 Constitution, 14th and 15th Amendments

[elipousson]

Respond to comment from Matthew K. on Confederate Memory essay:

several important legal benchmarks were omitted, e.g. the 1864 state constitution (that abolished slavery but did not provide suffrage for African Americans in Maryland), the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments, etc. As you demonstrate, it's the freedoms that these secure for black Marylanders that compel Confederate sympathizers to represent themselves and their ideals in the civic realm in marble and stone. It's telling, I think, that Maryland only ratified the amendments well after they came into effect: 1959 (for the 14th) and 1973 (for the 15th). Adding these to your chronology would be very helpful for your readers, I think.

[elipousson]

I addressed this partially with my January update #26 – but I'd like to come back and add more detail on the debates around the ratification of these amendments in 1959 and 1973. It may be relevant for the broader overview and not just the Confederate Monument study.