Amendment: Article XIII.

Amendment: Article XIII.

04/08/1864

Amendment

The Library of Congress presents an 1864 amendment--also known as the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except in cases where it is used as punishment for a crime--to the constitution of the United States that was approved by Secretary of State William H. Seward after it received approval from at least three-fourths of the states in the Union. The amendment details which states approved the amendment and outlines that Congress has the power to enforce the amendment "by appropriate legislation."

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The Library of Congress

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