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13th Amendment of the United States Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery except as a punishment for crime where

13th Amendment of the United States Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery except as a punishment for crime where the party has been duly convicted [1]

The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.

President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, effective on January 1, 1863, declared that the enslaved in Confederate-controlled areas (and thus almost all slaves) were free.

Historical Significance

The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

Events Before

  1. Alfred Stieglitz is born

    Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

  2. Qi Baishi is born

    Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

  3. White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Ni

    White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Nichols

  4. Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

    Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

  5. Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of

    Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Māori warriors in Tauranga [1]

Events After

  1. US House of Representatives passes the 14th Amendment (Civil Rights)

    The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (14 Stat. 27, enacted April 9, 1866, reenacted 1870) was the first United States federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by...

  2. First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by I

    First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern steamship

  3. Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter

    Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

  4. Fisk University opens in Nashville, Tennessee

    Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

  5. Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

    Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

More from the 1860s

Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved people in Confederate states

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

Slavery is abolished in the Dutch East Indies for areas under direct rule

The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.

birth

Alfred Stieglitz is born

Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

birth

Qi Baishi is born

Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 6, 1865?
The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18, 1865. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.
Why is 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution is ratified, abolishing slav... significant?
The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

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December 6 in HistoryYear 1865