The Abolition Of Slavery And The Civil War - 1349 Words

Throughout American history there have been numerous civil rights movements and shifts of thoughts and beliefs. One of the largest and arguably the most impactful movement was the movement to end slavery. America has always been divided on the issue, and even to this day there are harsh sentiments between different ethnicities. America made an official decision on the matter following a brutal and violent civil war. The Thirteenth Amendment was passed on January 31st, 1865 and read: â€Å"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 amendment followed Abraham Lincoln’s†¦show more content†¦The Senate actually passed the amendment in 1864, yet the House of Representatives did not. Through Abraham Lincoln’s efforts with the Republican party, the House eventually decided to pass the amendmen t with a vote of 119 to 56 in January, 1865. This established the Thirteenth Amendment as part of the U.S. Constitution, only needing ratification by three-fourths of the states. It was officially adopted on December 6, 1865 and was a Constitutional amendment. Of the remaining states, all but three had ratified it by 1870. Delaware ratified it in 1901, while Kentucky and Mississippi did not ratify it until the second half of the 20th century. Kentucky ratified the Thirteenth Amendment in 1976 and Mississippi did not ratify it until 1995 (History Net, n.d.). The inclusion of the Thirteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution meant that this particular issue was widespread and was also very controversial. It put an end to one of the bloodiest American conflicts and also established boundaries that America was to be a free country where everyone is meant to be equal. The abolition of slavery was necessary to patch a divided country and to free those who had been forced to spend their li ves working for the gain of others, simply because of their skin color. Its inclusion in the