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13th Amendment to the United States Constitution (1865)

Section 1. 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.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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Title Description Class
The Carceral State: Legal Histories of American Unfreedom This teaching module discusses race, the carceral state, and the criminalization of Blackness, featuring a webinar with legal historian Taja-Nia Henderson.

Title
13th Amendment to the United States Constitution (1865)
Description
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States except for as punishment for a crime. This exception has become a source of debate and controversy regarding the escalation of incarceration rates and the exploitation of incarcerated people for the benefit of corporate profits. The amendment was passed by Congress January 31, 1865, and ratified December 6, 1865.
Date
1865-12-06
Author
United States. Congress
Legal Concept
Slavery
Subject
African Americans
Temporal Coverage
Civil War and Reconstruction
Territorial Expansion
Spatial Coverage
United States
Document Type
Constitutional Amendment
Document Category
Primary Source
Bluebook Citation
U.S. Const. amend. XIII
Digital Repository
National Archives
URL
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Item sets
The Carceral State: Legal Histories of American Unfreedom

Title
13th Amendment to the United States Constitution (1865)
Description
The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States except for as punishment for a crime. This exception has become a source of debate and controversy regarding the escalation of incarceration rates and the exploitation of incarcerated people for the benefit of corporate profits. The amendment was passed by Congress January 31, 1865, and ratified December 6, 1865.
Date
1865-12-06
Author
United States. Congress
Legal Concept
Slavery
Subject
African Americans
Temporal Coverage
Civil War and Reconstruction
Territorial Expansion
Spatial Coverage
United States
Document Type
Constitutional Amendment
Document Category
Primary Source
Bluebook Citation
U.S. Const. amend. XIII
Digital Repository
National Archives
URL
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27
Item sets
The Carceral State: Legal Histories of American Unfreedom