The 13th amendment abolished laws that had built up protecting slavery. It meant that the slave interests could no longer use the government to enforce what they wanted. It recognizes (does not grant) the right that we all have to not live as slaves, and requires the government to protect that right. It is an important protection from the use of government power to enforce the claims of slave owners.
Prior to this, various laws and judicial decisions (such as Dredd Scott) had made aiding fugitive slaves illegal, and had practically made slavery legal in all states regardless of the will of the people.
Surprisingly, slavery persisted even after the Civil War. Here is a powerful, true story of someone who was a slave around 1900:
Prior to this, various laws and judicial decisions (such as Dredd Scott) had made aiding fugitive slaves illegal, and had practically made slavery legal in all states regardless of the will of the people.
Surprisingly, slavery persisted even after the Civil War. Here is a powerful, true story of someone who was a slave around 1900:
https://www.amazon.com/Emancipation-Robert-Sadler-Twentieth-...