Abolition of Slavery
Section I: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Section II: "Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery following the United States Civil War. Its ratification was one of the requirements for readmission of southern states into the union during reconstruction, and could be viewed as the first step in the civil rights movement.