13th Amendment - Slavery Abolished
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. One of the key events during his presidency was the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Cause and Reason for the 13th Amendment
The Emancipation Proclamation was made by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863 during the Civil War. The cause or reason for this addition to the Constitution was to make slavery, in all its forms, illegal. The 13th Amendment made the Three Fifths Compromise obsolete.

The 13th Amendment: History of Slavery and Slave Plantations in the US
The History of Slavery and Slave Plantations in the US began in 1619 when first 20 Africans were brought to Virginia as Indentured servants. The system of slave labor soon followed. The climate of the Southern states of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina Colony and Georgia made it possible to grow crops throughout the year and was ideally suited for Slave Plantations. Slave Plantations were large farms that used the enforced labor of slaves to harvest cotton, rice, indigo, sugar, tobacco and other farm produce for trade and export. By 1790 the US Census revealed that there are nearly 700,000 slaves in a nation of 3.9 million people. Slave Plantations became vital to the profitability of the large farms located in the Southern colonies. Up to the passing of the 13th Amendment slaves could only escape the bondage of slavery via systems such as the "Underground Railroad" or to spend many years working towards their goal of Buying Freedom from Slavery. 

The 13th Amendment: Background Facts and Information about Slavery and the US Constitution
The Founding Fathers and the Framers of the 1787 U.S. Constitution did not specifically refer to slavery but the Constitution did afford protection to southern slaveholding states and prohibited Congress from outlawing the slave trade until 1808. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 relates to Congress not interfering with early laws relating to slavery and protected the slave trade for 20 years.  In addition, Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 (Fugitive Slave Clause) required the return of fugitive slaves. In addition, Section 4 of the 14th Amendment states that US will not pay any claim for the freeing of any slave as all debts of this kind are invalid and illegal.

13th Amendment Meaning, Explanation and Summary
The 13th Amendment is one of the most important amendments in the US Constitution. The meaning of the words and phrases in the 13th Amendment of the Constitution are explained as follows:

13th Amendment: Meaning of the Words of the Amendment

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,..."

Explanation & Meaning: The amendment abolished slavery and it also abolished bond service and *peonage which were forms of compulsory service based on a servant's indebtedness to a master.

*The word 'peonage' means a system by which debtors are bound in servitude to their creditors until their debts are paid. Such people were referred to as peons.

Meaning: Forced labor as a punishment upon conviction of a crime is a form of involuntary servitude allowed by the 13th Amendment under its "punishment-for-crime" exception.

Other exceptions allowed by the 13th Amendment under its "punishment-for-crime" exception include serving on a jury and compulsory military service (the draft).

"...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction..."

"...Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Meaning of the Words of the Thirteenth Amendment 

13th Amendment Text - The Thirteenth Amendment
The original full text of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution is as follows. Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.

13th Amendment Text

Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

13th Amendment - Video of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
The above information provides the text, definition and summary of the thirteenth amendment. The following Abraham Lincoln video will give you additional important facts and dates about both the personal life and political life of the 16th President of the United States whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865.