EOTO 2

 During the Reconstruction era, there were many advancements for the African Americans living in the u.s at the time. One of the significant things that was a considerable advance in the time for African Americans was the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment is what unlimitedly outlawed slavery in the United States. 

The Amendment was passed on January 31st, 1865, but was not ratified until December 6th, 1865. Lincoln and many other leaders at the time concluded that the only way of getting rid of slavery was to amend the Constitution. It provided that slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States. This Amendment was necessary at the time because of the Emancipation Proclamation since it did not end slavery everywhere, and there were still many enslaved people in the United States working and not accessible. However, slavery was still allowed as criminal punishment after this Amendment was passed. 

However, getting this Amendment passed was not as easy as the republican party was hoping for. In April of 1864, the Senate proposed an amendment banning slavery, but they needed a 2 ⁄ 3 vote, which was difficult as more and more democrats were refusing to side with it. But soon after Lincoln's election, the republican party put this at the top of their list. So soon after, when all met again in December, and it was getting passed around the house, they finally got the 2 ⁄ 3 vote that they needed, and the Amendment was soon on its way to being finalized and was later that year. 

Though this was all great for the African-American population, there was still a lot of hate going on, and the discrimination in the United States was still extreme. African Americans were now free, but they still had to deal with the black codes, Jim Crow laws, and more discrimination similar to this. And since the 13th Amendment still allowed slavery for criminal punishment, there was still a way to keep it going. Many African Americans would be arrested during this time for false convictions or protesting. Soon after that, they would be charged and sent to do unpaid labor, which is the same thing as slavery. So even though it was outlawed, many were still finishing loopholes to keep discrimination in America going and keep African Americans oppressed as they have always been in America up to this time. 

In conclusion, the 13th Amendment was a huge change that ultimately helped the lives of African Americans at the time in the United States and was a leading contributor to where we are today. Without the passing of this Amendment, there is no telling how long it would've been until slaves were free in the United States and what would've happened to our future. However, there was still tension across the South about slavery and many other states as well. The continuation of discrimination was still strong, and there were many problems to fix in the United States.