Johnson and Southern states resisted, but it became the 14th Amendment to the U.S. It also guaranteed all citizens, including former slaves, equal protection under the law. In 1866, representative Thaddeus Stevens introduced an amendment that granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States. In this 13th Amendment example, punishment of involuntary servitude only applied to those lawfully convicted of a crime. It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except when used as a punishment for criminals. On January 31, 1865, the House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. When Congress reconvened later that year, Republicans proposed the amendment again and Lincoln pressured opponents to change their positions. Senate proposed an amendment banning slavery, but the House of Representatives did not pass it.

In fact, slavery was legal in all 13 colonies when the Second Continental Congress adopted the declaration in 1776. Though the Declaration of Independence embodied the concept of freedom and equality, it failed to address the subject of slavery.

Constitution that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.

What is the 13th amendment