How does the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution abolish slavery?
The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery in the United States. The amendment was adopted on December 6th, 1865, and states that “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.” When the amendment was ratified, it changed the status of slaves throughout the United States and abolished the legal authority of anyone to own slaves. It also gave African Americans full citizenship rights and prohibited any state from enforcing laws that would allow slavery. In Arizona, slaves were already freed before the Thirteenth Amendment was passed. In 1877, Congress passed the Arizona Organic Act which prohibited slavery in the state. Under the law, anyone who attempted to keep a person in slavery could be fined or possibly even imprisoned. The Thirteenth Amendment is still in effect today and is an important part of the US Constitution. It abolished slavery and gave African Americans their freedom and citizenship rights. It is also the basis for many laws that further protect African Americans from discrimination in the United States, including in Arizona.
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