13th Amendment — Abolition of Slavery
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, formally abolishing slavery throughout the United States — completing what the Emancipation Proclamation had begun.
What Happened
Passed by the Senate in April 1864 and the House in January 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified by the required number of states on December 6, 1865. Its text: '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.' It made permanent and universal what the Emancipation Proclamation had only partially achieved. The exception clause — allowing slavery 'as punishment for crime' — would be exploited through convict leasing systems throughout the South for decades.
Why It Mattered Then
The 13th Amendment was the constitutional culmination of the Civil War. It settled the question that had divided the nation since its founding: the United States would no longer legally recognize property rights in human beings.
Why It Matters Now
The 'punishment for crime' exception in the 13th Amendment has been cited as the legal basis for prison labor systems and is central to mass incarceration critiques. The Amendment's legacy — both its achievement and its limitations — remains at the center of American racial justice debates.
Key Themes
This event is part of the 1865–1877: Reconstruction era (1865–1877).
Explore This Era →