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Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

1865 · 19th century · Also known as Thirteenth Amendment

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime. Passed by Congress in January 1865 with Abraham Lincoln's support and ratified in December 1865, it freed the remaining enslaved people in the United States. It was the first of three Reconstruction amendments.

Mentioned in 1 profile

United StatesSummary

Mentioned in 1 state history

Confederate States of America

Great speeches

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?May 1851What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?5 July 1852The Gettysburg Address19 November 1863

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thirteenth-amendment
MLA
“Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thirteenth-amendment. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thirteenth-amendment.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/thirteenth-amendment (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻