Political Science - XIII Amendment

XIII Amendment

Luc Santos

Political Science

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Political Science - XIII Amendment

Why is the 13th Amendment so important to the Constitution of the United States? During

the 17th and 18th centuries people were taken from their homeland of Africa, brought to the

United States and forced to become American’s slave Labor, without choice or control of what

was happening. These people had to live and work in some of the most unhabitual conditions,

were treated as if they were disposable and simply put, abused. “Slavery is America’s original

sin. Despite the bold commitment to equality in the Declaration of Independence, slavery was

legal in all of the thirteen colonies in 1776. By the start of the Civil War, four million people,

nearly all of African descent, were held as slaves in 15 southern and border states. Slaves

represented one-eighth of the U.S. population in 1860” (Greene 2019).

This was the case until December 6th, 1865. This is the date that changed nearly four

million African American’s lives, when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, The

Amendment declared 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.” (OpenStax, 2016)

Prior to the 13th Amendment, this type of slavery was known as chattel slavery. This is

where someone is allowed to legally own another human being, just like you are able to own a

home, car, land etc. When they force them to do as they say, they have to comply and could not

leave in order to save their own lives. For many enslaved Africans, they wanted to run away to

escape the torture that they were being put through, but it was not nearly that easy. If they were

trying to escape, they would be brutally punished. Their owner would beat and hit them to the

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point of death or severe bodily harm. Besides the fear of being beaten to death, they would be

breaking the law when trying to escape being it was legally allowed to own another human.

While many of the men were physically tortured if they did not comply, the women

would be raped. “Many masters raped enslaved women, and rewarded obedient behavior

with favors, while rebellious enslaved people were brutally punished. A strict

hierarchy among the enslaved (from privileged house workers and skilled artisans

down to lowly field hands) helped keep them divided and less likely to organize

against their masters.” (History.com Editors, 2009)

For nearly all of the enslaved people, education was something that they were lacking

and was hindering them from being able to learn enough to escape, and still be able to survive.

The United States is the only country known to have prohibited the education of the

enslaved. During the era of slavery in the United States, the education of enslaved African

Americans, except for religious instruction, was discouraged, and eventually made illegal in

most of the Southern states. After 1831 (the revolt of Nat Turner), the prohibition was extended

in some states to free Blacks as well.

I believe that the 13th Amendment is one of the most powerful and influential to the

United States of America, its citizens, and the constitution. This was a horrific time where

mankind was being beaten, abused and simply taken advantage of. People could not see past

color and that hurt the country as a whole. With the systematic division coming to end on

December 6th, 1865, owning other humans was no longer something that was legal and a

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possibility. While the 14th and 15th Amendments are equally as monumental for the African

American people, those would not have happened if it were not for the 13th amendment.

Reference Page:
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Political Science - XIII Amendment

OpenStax. (2016, July 14). American Government. Retrieved February 06, 2021, from
https://openstax.org/

Greene, J. (n.d.). The thirteenth Amendment. Retrieved February 06, 2021, from
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/amendment-
xiii/interps/137

History.com Editors. (2009, November 12). Slavery in America. Retrieved February 06, 2021,
from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery