The abolishment of slavery in the United States was a long and contentious process that culminated in the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865. This amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States, ending over two centuries of legalized slavery in the country.
The issue of slavery had been a divisive one in the United States since the founding of the nation. The institution of slavery was deeply ingrained in the southern economy and society, while many in the northern states opposed slavery on moral grounds. The tensions between the slaveholding states and the free states eventually led to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. While the Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free all enslaved people in the United States, it did signal a shift in the government's stance on slavery and paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery.
After the end of the Civil War in 1865, the 13th Amendment was passed by Congress and ratified by the states, officially abolishing slavery in the United States. The amendment states: "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."
The abolishment of slavery was a significant milestone in American history, marking the end of a brutal and dehumanizing institution that had existed since the country's inception. However, the legacy of slavery continues to impact American society to this day, as the effects of slavery and systemic racism are still felt in many aspects of American life.
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