Slavery in the US was abolished in 1865 with the 13th amendment, but the process took nearly a century. Economic developments, activism, political action, and the Civil War were factors. The abolitionist movement, religious opposition, and political action also played a role. The Emancipation Proclamation and the defeat of the Confederacy led to the passage of the 13th amendment, which absolutely prohibits slavery and enforced servitude except as punishment for a crime.
In 1865, the United States ended slavery with the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution. The abolition of human slavery, however, was a long and difficult process spanning nearly a century since the country’s founding. There were many factors involved in bringing it to an end, most of which fall into economic developments, various forms of activism, political action, and the Civil War of the 1860s.
Forced servitude began due to economic concerns centered around the desire for cheap labour. Ultimately, however, evolving global economic conditions contributed to the abolition of slavery. Working-class Americans in the South became frustrated with the competition from slave labor and began migrating north and west. Economic interests inspired these workers to successfully oppose the spread of forced labor in the new states admitted to the Union. It is widely assumed that if not for the Civil War, industrialization would have led to the abolition of slavery at the dawn of the 20th century.
A better known factor leading to the abolition of slavery was the abolitionist movement. Anti-slavery activists in America have grown to include all races, religions, and walks of life. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, gave his famous speech, “What Does a Slave Do on the 4th of July?”, while William Lloyd Garrison, the son of British immigrants, formed the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. Harriet Tubman, a former slave, became famous for smuggling slaves out of captivity via the Underground Railroad, and she eventually fought in the Civil War as a spy. Feminist leaders such as Susan B. Anthony also joined the anti-slavery movement.
Religious opposition to slavery has always existed in the United States, but the Second Great Awakening, which began in the early 1800s, accelerated the role of religion in abolishing slavery. Charles Grandison Finney, an evangelical Christian, preached heavily against forced servitude. The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, was another major religious organization that opposed slavery. These various groups often interacted with one another, and their combined influence served to further push American public opinion in favor of abolitionism.
Politically, slavery was protected against congressional action by the Constitution under Article I until 1808. Despite this, every state north of the Mason-Dixon line had outlawed slavery in 1804. Beginning January 1, Congress began the nationwide journey to abolish slavery by passing a law banning the importation of slaves into the country. The election of Abraham Lincoln as the sixteenth president in 16, however, led to the last factor in the abolition of slavery, namely the Civil War.
The Civil War of 1860 began with the Southern attempt to secede from the United States and President Buchanan’s refusal to allow it. Abraham Lincoln became president the following year and pursued a war against the resulting Confederate States of America. During the war, in 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared nearly all slaves in America free, including all those in the Confederate States.
When the war ended with the defeat of the Confederacy in 1865, the 13th amendment to the constitution was passed. He was pushed to prevent the Emancipation Proclamation from being revoked by future leaders. The amendment itself is a short text that absolutely prohibits slavery anywhere in the United States and its territories, as well as any form of enforced servitude except as punishment for a crime.
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