{"id":2896,"date":"2019-08-30T23:08:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T23:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/?p=2896"},"modified":"2026-02-12T08:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:05:16","slug":"thirteenth-amendment-of-the-united-states-constitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/thirteenth-amendment-of-the-united-states-constitution\/","title":{"rendered":"Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution: A Detailed Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution is one of the most significant events in American history from the 19th century.\u00a0 It is especially important in relation to the history of\u00a0slavery in the United States<\/a>\u00a0and the events of the\u00a0American Civil War.\u00a0 This is because the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States when it was ratified in 1865.\u00a0 The Thirteenth Amendment is also significant in relation to the\u00a0Fourteenth Amendment<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Fifteen Amendment<\/a>\u00a0of the American Constitution.\u00a0 Together, the three amendments are often referred to as the \u2018Reconstruction Amendments<\/a>\u2019 since they dealt with issues resulting from the end of the American Civil War<\/a> and the period of Reconstruction<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Slavery in the United States<\/a> existed from the period of\u00a0Colonial America\u00a0in the early 17th century until the events of the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 until 1865.\u00a0 Throughout this timeframe, many slaves were brought from Africa to the territory of the United States via the\u00a0Atlantic Slave Trade<\/a>.\u00a0 Many of these slaves ended up working on\u00a0plantations\u00a0and households across the United States, and played a significant role in the production of certain goods.\u00a0 However, slavery in the United States came into question in the 19th century due to the growth of the\u00a0American Abolitionist Movement.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Abolitionist Movement<\/a> is the name for the advancements made in the United States towards ending the practise of slavery.\u00a0 For instance, the term \u2018abolition\u2019 means to stop or end something.\u00a0 As such, an abolitionist is someone who was working to ban slavery.\u00a0 The American Abolitionist Movement is considered to have occurred from the late 1700s until 1865 when the American government abolished slavery following the end of the American Civil War.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Slavery
Slaves working on a plantation in the United States. (Colorized by historycrunch.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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AMERICAN CIVIL WAR & THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0American Civil War<\/a>\u00a0first began in 1861 and continued until 1865.\u00a0 It was one of the most significant events in all of American history and had a profound impact on the development of the United States.\u00a0 At its heart, the American Civil War was the result of growing tensions between the Northern states and Southern states on the issue of slavery, among other things.\u00a0 In general, the American Civil War involved the Northern states (also referred to as the \u2018Union\u2019) and the Southern states (also referred to as the \u2018Confederacy\u2019) fighting in many different major and bloody conflicts.\u00a0 However, another important event that occurred during this time that was significant to the American Abolitionist Movement was the Emancipation Proclamation.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, the\u00a0Emancipation Proclamation<\/a>\u00a0was an executive order issued by United States\u00a0President Abraham Lincoln<\/a>\u00a0in regards to the issue of slavery in the Confederate States.\u00a0 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd, 1862, and it became effective as of January 1st of 1863.\u00a0 It declared that all slaves held in Confederate States were free.\u00a0 While the Civil War was not over yet, it essentially gave freedom to any slaves that were able to escape captivity in the Confederate States.\u00a0 This was an important step in the Abolitionist Movement as it foreshadowed the end of slavery that was to occur at the end of the Civil War.\u00a0 The violence and bloodshed of the American Civil War continued until 1865 when the Civil War ended with the surrender of the Confederate Generals.\u00a0 For example, most historians view the end of the Civil War as April 9th, 1865.\u00a0 This is when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Appomattox Court House.\u00a0 The end of the American Civil War was significant in the history of slavery in the United States because it essentially led to the end of the practise and resulted in freedom for over four million African American slaves.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation’ by F. Carpenter. (1864)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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PASSAGE OF THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As stated above, the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.  Many lawmakers believed it necessary to abolish slavery as a means of reuniting the Northern and Southern states following the destruction of the American Civil War.  For instance, while the earlier Emancipation Proclamation limited the practise of slavery, it did not put a full end to the practise.  In fact, throughout 1863 and 1864 there were several proposals from lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate.  For instance, the Senate passed the amendment on April 8th of 1964.  However, on June 15th of the same year, the House of Representatives voted against it due to Democrats, who disagreed with the amendment.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the first failure of the amendment, Northern Republicans argued publicly for the need to end slavery in the United States.  More specifically, they argued against slavery on moral and religious grounds.  On the other hand, Southern Democrats argued an opposing viewpoint and believed that states should have the right to choose for themselves.  Regardless, President Abraham Lincoln urged his cabinet to make the abolishing of slavery a main priority following his 1864 re-election as President of the United States.  Eventually, on January 31st of 1865, the House of Representatives voted on the amendment again.  This time it passed with a vote of 119 to 56.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bFollowing its passage in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Thirteenth Amendment then needed to be ratified by the states.  For instance, by the end of January 1865 it had been ratified by 18 different states.  This means that those states had voted on it and agreed to the terms of the amendment.  However, the abolishment of slavery remained a controversial issue in some states and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 15th, 1865 delayed the process.  However, the next President, Andrew Johnson, made abolishing slavery a priority of his government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, the Federal government pushed for the ratification of the amendment by the states.  In fact, for the amendment to be approved, it had to be ratified by three fourths of the states.  However, some of the Southern states did not support ratification due to fears that it would allow African Americans civil rights.  In fact, many of the Southern states did not support the idea of newly freed slaves having the right to vote and rejected the notion that the Federal government could force it upon the states.  As such, some states agreed to the terms of the Thirteenth Amendment on the basis that the Federal government could not enforce this upon them.  For instance, North Carolina and Georgia ratified the amendment in early December, which gave it the necessary majority for it to become part of the Constitution.  As such on, December 18th in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution had been adopted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Thirteenth
Thirteenth Amendment <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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TEXT OF THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n