Why Is The 13th Amendment Important

The thirteen amendments were placed in the constitution that declared that slavery was an illegal act. It was confirmed and signed on December 6, 1865, after the civil war in America between the southern region of America and the northern region of America. The war lasted approximately 4 years, 3 weeks and 6 days. The war was a chain reaction based on the right to own slaves in the America. President Lincoln introduced the act of abolishing slavery through the American states. At this point, in America, there were over 4 million slaves; making up 12.6 percent of the population. These slaves were originally imported from the continent of Africa and then later on the population grew. The southern region of America made a living out of reproducing cotton and having a lot farmland. Therefore, the profits that they made from cotton and selling slaves were remarkable, so with that being said it is understandable why the southern states did not want to give up slavery and wanted to expand it.

The 13th amendment was introduced by the House of Reps and signed and passed by President Lincoln as stated before on December 6, 1865, the amendment was passed by receiving 119 to 56. although it was introduced in January of the year 1865. The 13th amendment stated, “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude … shall exist within the United States” (Magleby). The 13th amendment was a modification that was added to the Constitution that declared to own someone and make property off of it was illegal unless it was a punishment for a crime in the united states of