Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States?

Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States?

• A. 13th Amendment.
• B. 14th Amendment.
• C. 15th Amendment.
• D. 12th Amendment.

Answer: (A)

Abolishing slavery is established by the amendment ratified in 1865, which declares that slavery and involuntary servitude shall not exist in the United States or anywhere under its jurisdiction, except as punishment for a crime for which the party has been duly convicted. This explicitly ends the institution of slavery nationwide and was a landmark step in Reconstruction, setting the legal framework for civil rights to follow. The other amendments address different issues: one defines citizenship and equal protection under the law, another extends voting rights regardless of race, and the last reorganizes how the president and vice president are chosen. None of those provisions abolish slavery itself.