Thirteenth Amendment
Dublin Core
Title
Thirteenth Amendment
Subject
African Americans, slavery
Description
The Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States.
Date
1865
Contributor
Library of Virginia
Rights
CC BY-SA
Relation
http://www.virginiamemory.com/online_classroom/shaping_the_constitution/doc/thirteenth
Format
PDF
Type
transcription
Identifier
13th Amendment_Transcription.pdf
Coverage
Virginia
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
Abolition of Slavery (1865)
AMENDMENT XIII
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.
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.
Citation
“Thirteenth Amendment,” Remaking Virginia: Transformation Through Emancipation, accessed October 31, 2025, https://virginiamemory.com/online-exhibitions/items/show/421.