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Prison Planet’s Free Labor Force

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Primary Documents in American History

13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution 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." Formally abolishing

slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was

passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified

by the states on December 6, 1865.

Library of Congress Web Site | External Web Sites |

Selected Bibliography

American Memory Historical Collections

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress

John Nicolay sent Lincoln a telegram reporting passage of

the 13th Amendment by Congress on January 31, 1865.

Search the Abraham Lincoln Papers using the phrase "13th

amendment" to locate additional documents on this topic,

including a copy of the 13th Amendment submitted to the

states that was signed by Abraham Lincoln and members of

Congress.

The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana

This collection documents the life of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) both through writings by

and about Lincoln as well as a large body of publications concerning the issues of the times

Thomas Nast.

Emancipation.

Philadelphia: S. Bott, 1865.

Wood engraving.

Prints and Photographs

Division.

Reproduction Number:

LC-USZ62-2573

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including slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and related topics.

Search this collection to find a number of items related to the abolition of slavery, including a

copy of the 13th Amendment.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation

The Senate debated and passed the 13th Amendment on April 8, 1864, by a vote of 38 to 6.

After initially rejecting the legislation, the House of Representatives finally passed the 13th

Amendment on January 31, 1865, by a vote of 119 to 56. On February 1, 1865, President

Abraham Lincoln signed a Joint Resolution submitting the proposed 13th Amendment to the

states. Finally, on December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William Seward issued a statement

verifying the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Search in the 38th Congress to find additional information on the 13th Amendment.

From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909

Includes speeches by T.B. Van Buren and Gen. Hiram Walbridge given during the ratification

process of the 13th Amendment in the New York House of Assembly. Also found within this

collection is a report issued by the Union League Club of New York recommending the

approval of the 13th Amendment.

The Nineteenth Century in Print

Contains an article written by John Hay and John Nicolay, Lincoln's private secretaries, that

discusses the history of the 13th Amendment. Also includes an article in the Continental

Monthly that examines the initial rejection of the 13th Amendment by the House of

Representatives in 1864.

Chronicling America

The Chronicling America site allows you to search and view newspaper pages from 1860 to

1922 from the following states: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii,

Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York,

Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and

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Washington.

Search this collection to find newspaper articles about the 13th Amendment.

A selection of articles on the 13th Amendment includes:

"Freedom Triumphant," New-York Daily Tribune. (New-York [N.Y.]),

February 01, 1865.

"The Constitutional Amendment," The Daily Phoenix. (Columbia, S.C.),

December 14, 1865

"The Official Announcement of the Adoption of the Constitutional Amendment-

-Opinions of the Leading Press," Daily National Republican. (Washington,

D.C.), December 21, 1865

Exhibitions

The African-American Mosaic

This exhibit marks the publication of The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress

Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. This exhibit is a sampler of the

kinds of materials and themes covered by this publication. Includes a section on the abolition

movement and the end of slavery.

African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship

This exhibition showcases the African American collections of the Library of Congress.

Displays more than 240 items, including books, government documents, manuscripts, maps,

musical scores, plays, films, and recordings. Includes a brochure from an exhibit at the Library

of Congress to mark the 75th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment.

American Treasures of the Library of Congress: Abolition of Slavery

An online exhibit of the engrossed copy of the 13th Amendment as signed by Abraham Lincoln

and members of Congress.

External Web Sites

The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln Association

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The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation,

Government Printing Office

Documents from Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861-1867, University of

Maryland

End of Slavery: The Creation of the 13th Amendment, HarpWeek

“I Will Be Heard!” Abolitionism in America, Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and

Manuscript Collections

Mr. Lincoln and Freedom, The Lincoln Institute

Our Documents, 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, National Archives and Records

Administration

Selected Bibliography

Hoemann, George H. What God Hath Wrought: The Embodiment of Freedom in the Thirteenth

Amendment. New York: Garland Pub., 1987. [Catalog Record]

Holzer, Harold, and Sara Vaughn Gabbard, eds. Lincoln and Freedom: Slavery, Emancipation,

and the Thirteenth Amendment. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2007. [Catalog

Record]

Maltz, Earl M. Civil Rights, the Constitution, and Congress, 1863-1869. Lawrence, Kan.:

University Press of Kansas, 1990. [Catalog Record]

Tsesis, Alexander. The Thirteenth Amendment and American Freedom: A Legal History. New

York : New York University Press, 2004. [Catalog Record]

Vorenberg, Michael. Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the

Thirteenth Amendment. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. [Catalog

Record]

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Younger Readers

Schleichert, Elizabeth. The Thirteenth Amendment: Ending Slavery. Springfield, N.J.: Enslow

Publishers, 1998. [Catalog Record]

Source of this document

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html

Black Studies Resources:

A Brief History Of The New Afrikan Prison Struggle (Parts 1-2)

Who Are The New Afrikan Political Prisoners and Prisoners Of War

The Assata Shakur Multi-Media Guide (Intro. By Assata Shakur: We Can Win Our

Liberation)

Cointel Pro Revisited: FBI Domestic Intelligence Activities and the Sabotage of

Legitimate Dissent

Who is Dr. Mutulu Shakur-A Life Long Activist In The New Afrikan Independence

Movement

The RBG Quest For Black Power Reader-A Luta Continua (The Struggle Continues)

FROLINAN-Front For The Liberation Of The New Afrikan Nation