13th And 13th Amendment Essay

The 13th Amendment, created out of the ashes of the American Civil War, 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." It was an end to the harsh cruelty that was brought upon African Americans for generations; however, a loophole exists within a simple phrase: “except as a punishment for crime…”. Even though all Americans are considered free under the 13th Amendment on paper, in reality this cannot be further from the truth as people were still considered a slave to the state if they committed a crime. Over time though, this “hands-off” doctrine approach gradually started to shift throughout the 1960s and 70s because the Civil Rights Movement stretched far beyond just African Americans. For prisoners, it was a justifiable call to action for basic human rights.

On a date that will be remembered forever as a step forward for our nation, July 28, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment gave a new sense of hope and inspiration to a once oppressed people. It was conceived to be the foundation for restoring America to its great status and prosperity. The Amendment allowed “equal protection under the law”, no matter what race, religion, sex, sexual preference or social status. It was designed to protect the newly freed slaves. However, it only helped the white race.

Imagine living in a world where everyone was considered equal. Imagine living in a world where people were considerate of others. Imagine living in a world where everyone had the same rights and privileges. The Framers took a step at achieving this world with the passage of the 14th amendment. The intent of the 14th amendment was to prevent state governments from denying African Americans in the U.S. from their citizenship. At the time Africans were unable to attain citizenship because of their skin color. The Framer’s objective in formulating the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to everyone born in the U.S., regardless of skin color. The 14th amendment expanded the protection of civil rights to all citizens in America.

The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868 and the amendment was put in place to protect former slaves and their rights in life. The most important part of the amendment reads, “No state shall ‘deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person… the equal protection of the laws.’” This simple statement has one of the most profound and incredible parts of the United States today. The equal protection of the laws show that there must be equal treatment for all citizens regardless of race, class, or gender. Although there has been many racial events happening after this amendment was passed this clause still stands to today and has helped shape the United States for the better. Having this clause in the Fourteenth Amendment protects the ‘little guy’ and makes sure that everyone has the same ability to do whatever everyone else is doing.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is commonly regarded as a major victory against racism that further advanced democracy in America. Adopted on July 9, 1868, it attempted to transform the oppressive culture of the Confederacy by granting citizenship rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States and affording equal protection under the law to all U.S. citizens. Nonetheless, in spite of aiming to put an end to discrimination against African-Americans and other minority groups, this important amendment did not entirely succeed in eradicating racism during the Reconstruction era.

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it cannot forget what the soldiers did here” are the words esteemed President Lincoln spoke years ago on the field of the deadliest battle in our country’s history. Today, students across the country pull out copies of his monumental words and travel long distances to view the Gettysburg memorial, in order to fully remember the soldiers who fought on that day. But it was more than the soldier’s courage that makes them recalled by generations of people. It was the vision they strived for. Now, the 13th Amendment stands in place of these fallen soldiers, a concrete representation of the ideals many fought for. The 13th Amendment honored the courageous soldiers, who gave “their

Slavery is alive in the United States of America; it’s just morphed to fit itself into modern times. Every time I see the text of the 13th Amendment, I wonder if that little caveat was intentional or just really naïve.

The fourteenth amendment grants citizenship to "all people born or naturalized in the United States" which included slaves who had been freed after the Civil War. The fourteenth amendment had been rejected by most states but was ratified by the required three-fourths of the states. Known as the "Reconstruction Amendment," it forbids any state to deny any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

The 14th amendment, amongst other things, describes exactly who and what a “citizen” is and what “citizenship” is in the U.S., something that the constitution lacks in description. For most practical purposes the

The Bill of rights, the constitution and the amendments of the constitution are the national foundation of freedom. The 14th amendment has become one of the most important parts of the constitution. The 14th amendment is divided into four sections. The 14th Amendment was designed in 1868 to stamp out lawless tyranny. Section one is to make former slaves citizens. The 14th amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. Nor shall any state deprive any person of liberty or property without due process of law”. However, since the 14th

The perpetual cycle of racial injustice in the United States of America from the end of slavery onward has birthed the nation’s racially biased mass incarceration of black men. Black men have been depicted as criminals since the beginning of American history, and while many think that the thirteenth amendment was a turning point toward ending the plight of African American slaves, it may have instead prohibited their social rise. The thirteenth amendment did not not necessarily end slavery; it simply changed the conditions under which slavery existed. In Ava Duvernay’s documentary 13th, author and former convict Shaka Senghor claims, “the thirteenth amendment says, ‘no involuntary servitude except for those who have been duly convicted of a

Why is it so complicated for the constitution to be amended? One may argue that it was assembled to make the ground rules of the U.S stable, making it hard to change. Others may argue that, in order to change the constitution, Article V, has to make some changes also. Since 1971, there has been an account of one amendment ratified (Posner, Eric, The U.S constitution is hard to amend). The Amendment is an intentionally difficult process by the founding fathers, to set the standard laws for the people, so no other can take control. Over the years, there has been a lack in amending such laws, for example, gay marriage and the burning of the flag.

13th “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” (loc.gov 2015). Does anybody know which amendment this is considered in our constitution? This is our 13th amendment of the United States, which states the form of slavery is not permitted in this day and age, or is it? The documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, is a documentary based on analyzing what the 13th Amendment means in todays society from multiple walks of life. The documentary 13th was nominated for Best Documentary Feature in the 2017 Oscar’s.

The Bill of rights is laws has 10 Amendments. And, Bill of rights is a compromise. And, how it is a compromise? Well, it’s a compromise because how the government agreed with those 10 Amendments.

Even though slavery was abolished in 1865 the African-Americans never had equal rights and that’s exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. was going for we call this the “Civil Rights Movement.” When Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize he was the youngest ever to win it in his time at the age of 35 and all of the money he won was donated to the Civil Rights Movement.