13th Amendment Essay

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (13th Amendment) The 13th Amendment was one of the most important amendments instituted during the Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. Although Lincoln believed that Slavery was immoral, he was not an abolitionist when the Civil War began in 1861. As the war developed, he realized that slavery was the main reason between the split of the states. Intelligently, he began supporting the passing of this amendment until it was finally passed by Congress January 31, 1865, and ratified December 6, 1865. It abolished slavery in the United States and was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments established in the five years following the American Civil War. Is it now known that the 13th Amendment served as a the gateway to the 14th and 15th amendments which finally granted African American equal rights.

Slavery was omnipresent and widely accepted as normal for the United States from the 1600s up until this point. The abolishment of slavery meant the establishment of civil equality, but not social equality. Racism remained as a huge problem and continues to this day. Segregation, or the separation of whites and blacks, still existed for many years until the Civil Rights Movement helped achieve equal rights for African Americans. The 13th amendment, however, was the first step towards equality. If the amendment had not been passed, the passing of the 14th and 15th amendments may not have happened and the way people view each other would be very