Pushing people into slavery is a heinous crime and is a clear violation of basic human rights.The Early British colonies started slavery in America by bringing a boat of African people to the land. For centuries afterward, Americans had to work in order to abolish the system.The 13th Amendment to the constitution is one that is still widely celebrated and understood as being of singular importance. It states that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude is acceptable in the United States, except for when anyone is given such punishment by the law. This Amendment to the constitution is crucial since basic human rights are ensured by it. It also meant that a proper method of punishment was set for anyone who thought of going against the law.One of the most unfortunate facts about this Amendment is that the person who strove to have it passed could not live to see the day when the 27th state ratified the Amendment. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated months before three-fourths of the state legislatures ratified the Amendment. Keep reading for more facts!If you enjoy reading this article, why not also check out Abraham Lincoln Civil War and American Civil War facts here at Kidadl!Was the 13th Amendment successful or a failure?The 13th Amendment to the American constitution was one that took time to get accepted by all the states but was nonetheless very crucial towards the development of the nation.This Amendment stated that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude would be legal in America. This was a step taken by the former US president Abraham Lincoln. Not only is he widely known for his steps towards abolishing slavery, but also for his unfortunate death before the constitutional Amendment could be ratified by enough states.This Amendment was to end slavery in the United States, which is something that had been tainting the history of the nation for a long time. The fact that enslaved people weren’t protected by any laws and that there was nothing illegal about depriving them of basic human rights is deeply unsettling. President Lincoln did push for this Amendment with the motivation of gaining freedom for the enslaved, but it also had the extra motive of curbing the Civil Rights Movement. It is safe to say that, while it took a lot of time to pass the Amendment and for it to get ratified, the effects were life-changing for the millions of people that were living miserable lives as slaves.The 13th Amendment states that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude would be legal in the United States. Involuntary servitude basically refers to how some slaves were tricked into believing that they owed their masters money for having carried the burden of their living expenses and therefore had to keep working to repay their debts. This created an involuntary and never-ending dependence of slaves on their masters and therefore created a vicious circle. The 13th Amendment ensures that such structures would be demolished. It also stated that Congress would have the power to exercise the Amendment through appropriate legislation.Who opposed the 13th Amendment?The 13th Amendment was opposed by the southern states since many did not want to abolish slavery.Some people in southern states used people of African descent as slaves and made them work in coffee and tobacco plantations. The Amendment made by President Lincoln made it a crime to use them as slaves. As a result, people had to pay former slaves as employees. After years of subjugating people and using them in order to profit, not everyone was ready to accept such a huge change and become acquainted with the idea of giving slaves the freedom that they deserved as human beings.Even though the founding fathers of the constitution were in favor of free will for everyone and believed that slavery was evil, they still had their own slaves at home. Hence, the 13th Amendment was a huge shift for America.The Civil Rights bill was passed at a time when Southern states had already been asking for autonomous power. They had realized that Lincoln would try his best to have the legislation passed by Congress, and after his historic win, he did. Before this, he had set the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.Which American states didn’t ratify the 13th Amendment?By the beginning of the 19th century, the people of the northern states had started realizing that slavery went against human rights and shouldn’t be allowed to taint the rich culture and history of the land.Slavery in the United States had started during the early British colonization when they brought African people over in a boat in order to exploit them and make them work. While northern states like Rhode Island and Vermont were quick to make slavery illegal, southern states struggled to understand the idea. When the Amendment was presented to the states for ratification in February 1865, not all states were ready to declare the keeping of slaves as a crime. Georgia was the last of the 27 states that were first to ratify the Amendment. For an amendment to be passed and for it to become a law, at least three-fourths of the states’ legislatures are required to ratify it. Hence, Georgia’s move was enough to abolish slavery and free all people who had been enslaved.It is one of the most important and crucial laws since it allows the Supreme Court to order punishment on anyone who commits the crime of violating the Civil Rights Act.How did the south try to get around the 13th Amendment?Many southern states were against ending slavery. They later formed a group of 11 states that wanted autonomous power and declared themselves as the Confederate States of America.However, they were not able to reach their goal. Neither the Civil War nor their extreme methods, were able to stop the 13th Amendment from being passed.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘13th Amendment for kids: facts that explain the anti-slavery movement’, then why not take a look at ‘Civil war uniform’, or ‘When did the cold war start’?
Pushing people into slavery is a heinous crime and is a clear violation of basic human rights.
