1865
Washington, D.C., DC · On map
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified December 6, 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It overturned the Dred Scott decision and the Three-Fifths Clause, granting formal legal freedom to over 4 million enslaved Black people. The 'except... punishment' clause later enabled convict leasing and prison labor systems that disproportionately targeted Black Americans.
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