Lincoln and the Thirteenth Amendment
As stated by Thaddeus Stevens, “The Greatest measure of the 19th century was passed by corruption, aided and abetted by the purest man in the world.” First, the 13th Amendment was the greatest measure of the 19th century because the amendment greatly affected the US societally, and economically. Second, the measures taken to secure the passing of the 13th Amendment were corrupt because members of the House of Representatives were convinced by dishonest means. Finally, Lincoln was the purest man in the world because of his intentions throughout the process of getting the 13th amendment passed. Lincoln, the purest man in the world, aided the passing of the 13th amendment with great intentions, but by erroneous methods.
First of all, the 13th Amendment was the single most important measure of the 19th century because of the immense changes it made to the United States both societally and economically. The emancipation of the slaves helped hasten the end of the American Civil War for the benefit of the Union. Soon after losing the Civil war, the Confederate states in the south were forced to reunite with the Union and surrender their right to the enslavement of African Americans. The enactment of the 13th amendment was the first step to give African American’s equal rights. Without a doubt, African American rights were not the only thing the abolishment of slavery accomplished. The southern reliance on slavery for economic prosperity
The Constitution of the United States and the amendments that follow established the principles of our country. After the north won the civil war, reconstruction began in the south and several new laws were passed to support African American equality. In 1865, the 13th amendment was passed, which resulted in slavery being abolished. These newly freed men were made many promises. Among them were the promises of political, social, and economic justice. It seemed as though these promises would be kept as violating them was deemed unconstitutional. For example, the 14th amendment granted 3 rights to all men: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, states cannot pass laws to abridge these rights, and the right that all men were seen equal before the law. Also, the 15th amendment was passed, which established the right to vote for all men, and thereby gave African Americans political power. In reality, however, these newly freed African Americans were still treated as inferior members of society. Reconstruction did not provide political, social, or economic justice to freed slaves.
The 13th amendment abolished slavery and freed millions of African Americans. This was supposed to improve their lives and give them a new beginning. However, more than 30 years after the abolishment, their situation has not improved. Their right to vote was revoked in many southern states during the early 1890s. Less than 40% of black children were enrolled in schools in Georgia by 1880. Between 1880 and 1918, over 2400 African Americans were hanged. Africans had the lowest paying jobs and very few owned land. Jim Crow laws were established in many southern states to legalize segregation. Their situation was disastrous and wasn’t improving. Four respected spokespersons presented their ideas to fix this racial inequality crisis. The four courageous people who offered their alternatives were Ida B Wells, Booker T. Washington, Henry Turner and W.E.B Du Bois.
The freedmen’s bureau was a government agency founded during the Reconstruction to help former slaves. The freedmen’s Bureau benefited the African Americans lives because they got knowledge from the colored schools that the government made for them. (Document 1) Most teachers were volunteers, often women, from the North. The bureau also created colleges for the former slaves like Howard. Most Africans who graduated became teachers themselves. The freedmen’s bureau also provided Food and Clothing for most former slaves. The government also provided medical care to over one million people. The bureau also helped poor whites. The African Americans were also benefited by the 13th Amendment. The 13th amendment was an 1865 amendment to the United States constitution that bans slavery throughout the nation. This benefitted the slaves because the amendment banned slavery for good. (Document 2) This shows the African American’s were benefitted by the
had from the 13th amendment greatly changed the future of America. Before the amendment, many white Americans used black slaves for labor and work to maximize their money profit. This very quickly angered the slaves who thought they deserved equal rights as all other citizens of the U.S. With the implementation of the 13th amendment, “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.” This greatly aided the blacks in the fight for freedom because it restricted all people in America from their abilities to harm blacks and mistreat them from the others in society. This overall shows the 13th amendment’s impact it had on the 1800’s and helped to abolish slavery.
In history class, we’ve learned that the 13th amendment had set out to abolish slavery. The 13th amendment is usually something that is regarded as a major feat for the progress of human and civil rights within the United States. Unfortunately, this depiction of “overcoming” slavery and in turn racism, isn’t necessarily a reality. Rather, as the film 13th displays, the 13th amendment has loopholes that mostly affect minority groups (primarily Black and Hispanic people), which have allowed for mass incarceration and what could easily be considered as modern day slavery to slip through the cracks.
The thirteenth amendment was the first amendment implemented into the United States Constitution to ending slavery. The thirteenth amendment states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime of which the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction (Library of Congress).” Slavery started in the year 1619 in the Northern American colonies and continued to grow until the nation became divided between those who supported slavery and the others who did not support slavery (History.com Staff, 2009). Slaves were beaten, worked to extreme exhaustion, and never given proper care. Many of these slaves worked the tobacco farms and helped build the economic foundations of the new nation. While this amendment alone was not enough to completely stop slavery, it was a commencement to change the future. For every change, there must be a start, and the thirteenth amendment offered a start to those who endured cruel unequal treatment. This amendment would establish freedom and would allow Congress the power to define “freedom.”
Have you ever looked back on the Civil War amendments that were established to end slavery and make all men equal and think,” Were these amendments very effective to the lives of people after they were ratified? Well, maybe we should look back at how lives were like after the Civil War amendments were passed and put into the lives of citizens of the United States! Were they effective, or were they not? Let’s take a look back at the lives of blacks after the Civil War amendments were passed! The 13th amendment in the constitution states that slavery is abolished in all the states, not just rebelling states, which was a good thing for blacks to celebrate about.
As slaves, African Americans were seen as weak, frail, and fragile individuals. Although they were perceived as powerless, they undoubtedly held all of the power. Afro- Americans were not deemed a threat until the abolishment of slavery in 1865. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution states that “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, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction.” In Congress, it was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. This transformation in America allowed African Americans a sense of liberation about themselves. On the contrary, it also instilled a certain fear in White Americans.
When the United States was founded, it did not frown upon slavery. The mistreatment and unconstitutional practice of slavery was not noted until the Civil War. Congress passed a law abolishing slavery on January 31, 1865. To tie that into today, we see racism still lives but for the most part, all are treated equally. Had this law not been passed, segregation would still have a hold of our country. Back then, as well as now, all should have been treated equally. All men are free men regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, and origin. The thirteenth amendment was only beneficial to our
In 1862 entering the third year in the course of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as a tactic to have African American’s serve in the war. This proclamation declared that all slaves living in rebellious states would be freed. This gave way to the 13th amendment which was passed in 1865 and eradicated slavery. The 14th, and 15th amendments followed soon after in the constitution of the United States as a set of amendments intended to establish equality for the newly emancipated slaves. As part of these agreed upon amendments, African American’s were granted citizenship, reclaimed the right to vote and were guaranteed equal protection of the laws. As a result of these new alterations to the constitution, fear quickly arose among whites. Motivating whites to become creative and develop new methods to control the imminent threat to economic,
However, all the privileges that come accompany freedom were still unattainable. It was no secret that the Republican Party wanted freedom for the slaves and in 1864 Lincoln granted it by establishing the 13th amendment. This amendment abolished slavery forever. Even though, the act was a noble one, the end result was not favorable for blacks. They were still segregated, and not given any rights. They could not vote or receive a decent education. They were separated from whites at social events and public places. This amendment may have ended the Civil War but it did not help the African Americans in their quest for fair and equitable treatment.
The Thirteenth Amendment had abolished slavery. According to the Constitution “Slavery or involuntary servitude, can accept the punishment for a crime where the party shall have been convicted, should exist in the United States or all states to their jurisdiction.” The next amendment was founded. It states “Privileges of Citizenship, Due Process, and lastly Equal Protection.” Finally the Fifteenth Amendment was also founded in the year of the Reconstruction period.
Issued by Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation set all slaves, under Confederate control, free, and armed black troops for the Civil War. A year later, beginning in September of 1864, Maryland, Tennessee, Missouri, and Louisiana abolished slavery. Shortly after, approved by Congress in February of 1865 and ratified in December, the Thirteenth Amendment was official. This amendment abolished slavery throughout the entire Union, which finally freed Kentucky and Delaware slaves. The war started as a fight to preserve the Union, but the new amendment went to show that the war had shifted to a fight to end slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment resulted in the abolition of slavery permanently. Although this freedom did not mean equality. Northern African Americans had been battling for their civil rights before and after the war. They were petitioning and campaigning at the state level, and created the National Convention of Colored Men and the National Rights League at the national level. None of these had as big of an impact as when the Radical republicans in Congress got involved to help overturn the inequalities.
Ratified in 1865, the thirteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution formalized this result in U.S. law, abolishing slavery throughout the country and every territory subject to its jurisdiction.
The 13th amendment to the United States’ constitution was introduced in order to free the slaves from slavery and make united states a free country by abolishing and prohibiting slavery. This amendment finalized the abolition of slave trade in the United States. The 13th amendment has its origin in the proposition made by Abraham Lincoln to his cabinet in relation to the freeing of all slaves in the rebellious states. It was proposed by the 38th congress of the United States and passed by the senate on 8th April 1864 before being adopted on the 6th of December in 1865 following the announcement of the secretary of state who declared it to have been adopted.