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The 13th Amendment : The Ratification Of The American Civil War

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The American civil war was one of the most transformative events in this nations history. It was the war were the most Americans died, more than all other conflicts combined , the latest war fought in the US mainland, and was the resolution to the only secession from the United States in history. The time period after the Civil War, known as the reconstruction era, was just as important. The most important element of the reconstruction era was ratification of the reconstruction amendments. Without the passing of the reconstruction amendments, all of the changes of the Civil War would not be as permanent or impactful as they are today.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction-Section 1 of the 13th amendment.

The 13th amendment was passed on Dec 6th, 1865, after months of debate and the process of ratification. It was the end of all legal slavery in the United States, for all people. Many northerners, such as Harper Weekly editor George William Curtis, urged ratification of the amendment be a condition of the southern states to rejoin the union . This demonstrates this amendments extreme importance. The passing of the 13th amendment was the climax of the entire civil war. The war started after South Carolina seceded after the election of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican president who ran on the message

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