Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States?

Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States?

• A. 14th Amendment
• B. 16th Amendment
• C. 13th Amendment
• D. 15th Amendment

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that slavery and involuntary servitude were banned nationwide by a constitutional amendment that says neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States, except as punishment for crime. Ratified in 1865 during Reconstruction, this amendment made the legal end of slavery across all states. Other amendments address related but different issues—one expands citizenship and due process, another protects voting rights regardless of race, and another establishes the federal income tax—so they don’t abolish slavery.

The key idea is that slavery and involuntary servitude were banned nationwide by a constitutional amendment that says neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States, except as punishment for crime. Ratified in 1865 during Reconstruction, this amendment made the legal end of slavery across all states. Other amendments address related but different issues—one expands citizenship and due process, another protects voting rights regardless of race, and another establishes the federal income tax—so they don’t abolish slavery.