Malcolm Rivera
The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed on January 31, 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the nation. It was first passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and was then ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, with Georgia becoming the final state to approve it. The amendment was proclaimed on December 18, 1865, by Secretary of State William Seward, marking the end of one of the ugliest eras in American history.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date passed by the Senate | April 8, 1864 |
| Date passed by the House of Representatives | January 31, 1865 |
| Date signed by President Lincoln | February 1, 1865 |
| Date ratified | December 6, 1865 |
| Date proclaimed | December 18, 1865 |
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What You'll Learn
The 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865
The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed on January 31, 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was first passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, but the House of Representatives initially did not pass it. The 13th Amendment was then ratified on December 6, 1865, by the required 27 of the then 36 states, and it was proclaimed on December 18, 1865.
The road to the ratification of the 13th Amendment was not without its challenges. Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared that enslaved people in Confederate-controlled areas were free, it did not end slavery nationwide. This was because the proclamation only applied to areas of the Confederacy in rebellion and not to the "border states" that remained in the Union. Lincoln recognised that a constitutional amendment was necessary to guarantee the abolishment of slavery.
The 13th Amendment was passed at the end of the Civil War, before the Southern states had been restored to the Union. It faced opposition in the House of Representatives, which initially did not pass it. However, the Senate moved quickly and passed the amendment with an overwhelming majority. The joint resolution submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures was approved by President Lincoln on February 1, 1865.
The ratification process for the 13th Amendment began, and by April 1865, 18 states had ratified it. This progress was stalled by the assassination of President Lincoln in April 1865. It wasn't until December 1865 that Georgia became the 27th state to ratify, fulfilling the requirement of three-quarters of states' approval. On December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed that the United States had constitutionally abolished slavery.
The 13th Amendment was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments, including the 14th and 15th Amendments, which greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans. While the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, Southern states continued to treat African Americans as second-class citizens through the adoption of "Black Codes" and "Jim Crow laws". Nonetheless, the ratification of the 13th Amendment marked a significant stride towards freedom and equality for African Americans in the United States.
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It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. It was then ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. This amendment was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.
The 13th Amendment states that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This amendment provided a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery in the United States, guaranteeing freedom to those who had been enslaved.
The 13th Amendment built upon President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, which declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-controlled areas, and thus almost all slaves, were free. Lincoln recognised that this proclamation would need to be followed by a constitutional amendment to truly abolish slavery. The 13th Amendment achieved this goal, ensuring that slavery and involuntary servitude were abolished across the nation, including in the Southern states that had not been included in the Emancipation Proclamation.
The 13th Amendment is a powerful example of how constitutional amendments can be used to expand civil rights and protect individual liberties. Along with the 14th and 15th Amendments, it played a crucial role in the Reconstruction era, shaping the nation's commitment to equality and freedom for all its citizens.
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It was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, was a significant step towards abolishing slavery and prohibiting involuntary servitude. It stated that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This amendment was the culmination of efforts by abolitionists and legislators who sought to end slavery and protect individual freedoms.
The road to the 13th Amendment's passage began years earlier, with several members of Congress proposing their own versions of an amendment to abolish slavery between late 1863 and early 1864. These proposals varied in scope and intensity, reflecting the political affiliations of the legislators. However, they were merged into a single proposed amendment by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 10, 1864. This was a crucial step forward, as the Senate passed the amendment on April 8, 1864, with a strong bipartisan vote of 38 to 6.
The House of Representatives then passed the amendment on January 31, 1865, marking a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. The joint resolution of the Senate and the House was submitted to the states for approval on February 1, 1865, and President Abraham Lincoln ceremoniously signed the document. The amendment needed ratification by three-quarters of the states to become law, and this was achieved on December 6, 1865, when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify it.
The 13th Amendment was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments, which were adopted between 1865 and 1870 following the American Civil War. It not only abolished slavery but also restricted other forms of bound labour, such as indentured servitude and peonage. The enforcement clause in Section Two of the amendment has been used to combat racial discrimination in various sectors, including private employment, public transportation, and housing.
The passage of the 13th Amendment by Congress on January 31, 1865, was a pivotal moment that set in motion the legal abolition of slavery in the United States. It represented a significant shift towards recognising the freedom and rights of individuals, setting a precedent for further legislative action to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for all.
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The Amendment was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as "The Abolition of Slavery", was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. It was then ratified by the required 27 out of 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18 of the same year. The Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and all territories under its control, except as punishment for a crime.
The 13th Amendment was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments (or Civil War Amendments) to the US Constitution, which were adopted following the American Civil War. The other two amendments are the 14th and 15th Amendments. These amendments were part of the implementation of the Reconstruction of the American South, which occurred after the Civil War. The 14th Amendment was proposed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, addressing citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all persons. The 15th Amendment, the last of the Reconstruction Amendments, was proposed in 1869 and ratified in 1870. It prohibits federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on race, colour, or previous servitude.
The Reconstruction Amendments were supported by the Radical Republicans, who wanted to ensure that newly granted civil and political rights could not be easily repealed. Before the 13th Amendment, slavery was only sparingly mentioned in the Constitution. The Three-Fifths Compromise, in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, stated that enslaved persons would be regarded as "three-fifths" of a fully free citizen. The Fugitive Slave Clause, in Article IV, Section 2, asserted that a slave remained a slave even if they fled to a non-slavery state. The Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court case in 1857 further reinforced this clause.
The 13th Amendment not only abolished slavery but also restricted other forms of bound labour and servitude, such as indentured servitude and peonage. It was the final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery in the United States.
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President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring:
> Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do … that all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.
The proclamation changed the legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states from enslaved to free. Lincoln's bold step was a military measure that came a few days after the Union's victory in the Battle of Antietam. It was designed to inspire all Black people, especially enslaved people in the Confederacy, to support the Union cause and to prevent England and France from giving political recognition and military aid to the Confederacy.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a significant milestone in the road to slavery's final destruction, but it did not end slavery in the nation. It was limited in scope, applying only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery in place in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Union control. The freedom it promised was dependent on a Union military victory.
Lincoln recognised that the Emancipation Proclamation would need to be followed by a constitutional amendment to guarantee the abolition of slavery. The 13th Amendment was passed at the end of the Civil War, before the Southern states had been restored to the Union. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. It was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime.
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Frequently asked questions
The 13th Amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865.
The 13th Amendment was ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime.
President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 had declared slaves in Confederate-controlled areas to be free, but it did not end slavery in the nation as it did not apply to all states. The 13th Amendment made emancipation a national policy.
