
What are the pros and cons of the 13th Amendment?
The Pros And Cons Of The 13th Amendment
- The Pros And Cons Of The 13th Amendment. Thanks to the groundbreaking Thirteenth Amendment, no person may be forced to work except in retribution for a crime he or she ...
- 13th Amendment Pros And Cons. ...
- The Pros And Cons Of The 13th Amendment. ...
- Plans Of Reconstruction. ...
- Lincoln by Steven Spielberg
How did the 13th Amendment affect the lives of slaves?
- Telling the former slaves to leave.
- Telling the slaves that they could continue to work there for pay, although the amount of pay was naturally open to negotiation and quite low (this developed into sharecropping and ...
- Murdering all their former slaves.
How did the 13th Amendment affect the Civil War?
The 13th amendment may have abolished slavery but people still discriminated African Americans and gave them little rights. This affected how people acted, how they thought of each other, and children’s education. The 13th amendment ended slavery, which was one of the main causes of the Civil War.
Did the 13th Amendment really end slavery?
The 13th amendment didn’t really end slavery it just outlawed slavery. It was shifted to the prison system, So plantation would rent the prisoners to work on coal mines farms for real roads.

What were the long term effects of the 13th Amendment?
Legacy. Even after the 13th Amendment abolished enslavement, racially-discriminatory measures like the post-Reconstruction Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws, along with state-sanctioned labor practices like convict leasing, continued to force many Black Americans into involuntary labor for years.
What impact did the 13th Amendment have on reconstruction?
During Reconstruction, three amendments to the Constitution were made in an effort to establish equality for black Americans. The Thirteenth Amendment, adopted in 1865, abolishes slavery or involuntary servitude except in punishment for a crime.
How did the 13th Amendment change the United States?
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. To protect the rights of newly freed people, Congress enacted two additional Constitutional amendments.
What are the lasting effects of the Reconstruction Amendments?
Innovative legislation was not forthcoming to help ease the discrimination that many newly freed slaves felt in the South. However, the Reconstruction Amendments did their part: they officially ended overt slavery, gave citizenship to newly freed African Americans, and established the right to vote regardless of race.
Why is the 13th Amendment the most important?
“The 13th Amendment is the most important amendment in the history of the U.S. Constitution. From 1776 to 1861, the U.S. had been constructed on a foundation of African-American enslavement. The Civil War dug up that foundation, and the 13th Amendment shattered the blocks to dust.
How did the 14th amendment affect Reconstruction?
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including former enslaved people—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” One of three amendments passed during the Reconstruction era to abolish slavery and ...
What was the result of the Reconstruction Amendments The Thirteenth Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments )?
One way that they tried to do this was to pass three important amendments, the so-called Reconstruction Amendments. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment gave citizenship to all people born in the US. The 15th Amendment gave Black Americans the right to vote.
How did the Reconstruction Amendments change the role of government?
How did the Reconstruction amendments change the role of government? The Supreme Court's role would be diminished. For most former slaves, freedom first and foremost meant: land ownership.
What is the 13th amendment?
As passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865, the full text of the 13th Amendment reads: 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.
When was the 13th amendment passed?
The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865.
What laws were passed after the 13th amendment?
Even after the 13th Amendment abolished enslavement, racially-discriminatory measures like the post-Reconstruction Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws, along with state-sanctioned labor practices like convict leasing, continued to force many Black Americans into involuntary labor for years.
Which amendments explicitly mention slavery?
Constitution as adopted in 1789 both stressed liberty and equality as foundations of the American vision, the 13th Amendment of 1865 marked the first explicit mention of human enslavement in the Constitution.
What was the significance of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation?
By 1863, with the outcome of the Civil War still in doubt, Lincoln decided that freeing enslaved people in the South would cripple the economy of the 11 Confederate States and help win the war.
Which amendments were passed after the Civil War?
Section Two. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Along with the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment, the 13th Amendment was the first of the three Reconstruction Period amendments adopted following the Civil War.
When did slavery become legal?
Since the 1600s , the enslavement and trade of people had been legal in all 13 American colonies. Indeed, many of the Founding Fathers, though feeling that enslavement was wrong, enslaved people themselves. President Thomas Jefferson signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves in 1807.
When did the 13th amendment get ratified?
But he would not see final ratification: Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, and the necessary number of states did not ratify the 13th Amendment until December 6.
Why did the Confederate states ratify the 13th amendment?
Congress also required the former Confederate states to ratify the 13th Amendment in order to regain representation in the federal government. Together with the 14th and 15th Amendments, also ratified during the Reconstruction era, the 13th Amendment sought to establish equality for black Americans.
What did Lincoln believe about the emancipation of slaves?
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect in 1863, announced that all enslaved people held in the states “then in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
What amendment was passed in 1864?
Battle Over the 13th Amendment. In April 1864, the U.S. Senate passed a proposed amendment banning slavery with the necessary two-thirds majority. But the amendment faltered in the House of Representatives, as more and more Democrats refused to support it (especially during an election year). Recommended for you.
Which amendment outlawed chattel slavery?
While Section 1 of the 13th Amendment outlawed chattel slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for a crime), Section 2 gave the U.S. Congress the power “to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”.
Which amendment abolished slavery?
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1865 in the aftermath of the Civil War, abolished slavery in the United States. The 13th Amendment states: “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, ...
Did the Emancipation Proclamation end slavery?
But the Emancipation Proclamation it itself did not end slavery in the United States, as it only applied to the 11 Confederate states then at war against the Union, and only to the portion of those states not already under Union control. To make emancipation permanent would take a constitutional amendment abolishing the institution of slavery itself.
What is the movie 13th about?
The film’s powerful overview of the crisis of mass incarceration from the Civil War to the present has earned it plaudits from critics, activists, and scholars.
Which amendments were used to define freedom?
It took later amendments and laws to define freedom: the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (civil rights), the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868 (citizenship), the Fifteenth Amendment of 1870 (voting rights), and others. Second, on its face, the language of the Thirteenth Amendment’s “exception clause” offers no mechanism to actively promote incarceration.
What is the argument for the mass incarceration loophole?
In a nutshell, the argument is this: The country did the right thing in passing an amendment intended to make all people equal, but some connived against that noble aim in permitting, and then exploiting, the mass incarceration loophole. When we put these claims to the test with a closer look at the Amendment and its origins, we learn that they bear little resemblance to the actual history.
What is the critical text of the film "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude"?
The critical text reads: “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.”. The film argues that the central dependent clause of this article is the problem.
Why was the exception clause important?
The exception clause had long served the purpose it served in 1865 and 1787—to distinguish, not merge, slavery and criminal incarceration. By 1865, the exception clause had become boilerplate. It drew attention only from Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, who objected to it precisely because it created confusion.
What is the exception clause in the documentary?
One author commenting on the documentary calls the exception clause “a poison pill, a trapdoor, an escape clause” that permitted the persistence of slavery. He quotes another: “The 13th Amendment says slavery is still legal. Slavery is legal in prisons. You better wake up and see this conspiracy for what it really is.”.
Which amendment abolished slavery?
But we need to revisit its faulty foundational history. DuVernay’s title refers to the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery throughout the country when it was ratified in 1865.
What were the effects of the 15th amendment?
The Fifteenth Amendment had the most long and short term effects. It helped the Republican Party to win in 1870, and this party brought extreme changes to the south. With the passing of this amendment, African Americans felt more empowered to participate in politics and hold office. Thomas Mundy Peterson from New Jersey became the first African American to vote and Hiram R. Revels from Mississippi became the first African American to be elected into Congress. In spite of this, as Reconstruction ended, so did the rule of the Republican Party. Southern state governments nullified the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Discriminatory practices, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, were passed to prevent blacks from voting. For example, as article “African Americans and the 15th Amendment” published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation asserts, “In Mississippi, 67 percent of the black adult men were registered to vote in 1867; by 1892 only 4 percent were registered”.
Which amendments were nullified in the Southern states?
In spite of this, as Reconstruction ended, so did the rule of the Republican Party. Southern state governments nullified the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
Which amendments shifted responsibility for protecting rights to the federal government if states failed to do so?
The 15th Amendment (1870) stated that no one could be denied the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.”. These amendments shifted responsibility for protecting rights to the federal government if states failed to do so.
When did slavery end?
On December 6, 1865, the U.S. government abolished slavery by amending the Constitution to state, "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.".
Which amendment guaranteed African Americans citizenship?
To protect the rights of newly freed people, Congress enacted two additional Constitutional amendments. The 14th Amendment (1868) guaranteed African Americans citizenship rights and promised that the federal government would enforce “equal protection of the laws.”.
What was the fight over civil rights?
The ballot is from the race for governor of Ohio in 1867. Allen Granberry Thurman’s campaign included the promise of barring black citizens from voting.
Which amendment repealed the 3/5 compromise?
The 13th Amendment of 1865 effectively gutted the three-fifths compromise by outlawing the enslavement of Black people. But when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, it officially repealed the three-fifths compromise. Section 2 of the amendment states that seats in the House of Representatives were to be determined based on “the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed."
What was the effect of the compromise on the Southern states?
This agreement gave the Southern states more electoral power than they would have had if the en slaved population had been ignored entirely.
What was the effect of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed residents to determine for themselves whether they wanted to allow the enslavement of Black people in their territories. Altogether, the three-fifths compromise had a detrimental impact on vulnerable populations, such as the enslaved and the nation’s Indigenous peoples.
How did the Three Fifths compromise affect politics?
How the Compromise Affected Politics in the 19th Century. The three-fifth s compromise had a major impact on U.S. politics for decades to come. It allowed pro-slavery states to have a disproportionate influence on the presidency, the Supreme Court, and other positions of power. It also resulted in the country having a roughly equal number ...
What did the repeal of the compromise do to the South?
The repeal of the compromise gave the South more representation, since the members of the formerly enslaved Black population were now counted fully. Yet, this population continued to be denied the full benefits of citizenship. The South enacted laws such as “ grandfather clauses ” meant to disenfranchise Black people, even as their population gave them more influence in Congress. The additional voting power not only gave Southern states more seats in the House but more electoral votes, too.
Why did the Dixiecrats want to reduce the South's voting power?
Congress members from other regions sought to reduce the South's voting power because Black people were being stripped of their voting rights there , but a 1900 proposal to do so never materialized. Ironically, this is because the South had too much representation in Congress to allow for a switch. Until as recently as the 1960s, Southern Democrats, known as Dixiecrats, continued to wield a disproportionate amount of power in Congress. This power was based in part on the Black residents, who were counted for the purposes of representation but who were prevented from voting through grandfather clauses and other laws that threatened their livelihoods and even their lives. The Dixiecrats used the power they had in Congress to block attempts to make the South a more equitable place.
What did the Dixiecrats do to make the South more equitable?
The Dixiecrats used the power they had in Congress to block attempts to make the South a more equitable place. Eventually, however, federal legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would thwart their efforts.

Two Centuries of Enslavement in America
Emancipation Proclamation’s Slippery Slope
- Despite his long-held hatred of enslavement, President Abraham Lincolnwavered in dealing with it. In a last-ditch effort to prevent the Civil War in 1861, then President-elect Lincoln implicitly endorsed the so-called Corwin Amendment, a never-ratified constitutional amendment that would have banned the U.S. government from abolishing enslavement in the states where it existed at …
Passage and Ratification
- The 13th Amendment’s road to enactment began in April 1864, when the U.S. Senate passed it by the required two-thirds supermajority vote. However, the amendment hit a roadblock in the House of Representatives, where it faced opposition by a significant number of Democrats who felt that the abolishment of enslavement by the federal governmentwould amount to a violation of the rig…
Legacy
- Even after the 13th Amendment abolished enslavement, racially-discriminatory measures like the post-Reconstruction Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws, along with state-sanctioned labor practices like convict leasing, continued to force many Black Americans into involuntary labor for years. Since its adoption, the 13th Amendment has been cited in prohibi...
Sources
- “13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865).” Our Documents - 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
- "The 13th Amendment: Slavery And Involuntary Servitude." National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org.
- Crofts, Daniel W. Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and th…
- “13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865).” Our Documents - 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
- "The 13th Amendment: Slavery And Involuntary Servitude." National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org.
- Crofts, Daniel W. Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and the Struggle to Save the Union, The University of North Carolina Press, 2016, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Foner, Eric. The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. W.W. Norton, 2010, New York.