Primary
National Constitution Center

National Constitution Center: Thirteenth Amendment [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source document, informational text and questions for discussion included for students studying issues surrounding the abolition of slavery and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Lesson Plan
South Carolina Educational Television

Know It All: Reconstruction Amendments

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders will complete research on one of the Reconstruction amendments then create a project demonstrating their knowledge of that particular amendment as if they are supporting that amendment during the era it was created. Their...
Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: The 13th Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
An original 13th amendment restricting lawyers from serving in government that was supposedly ratified in 1819 and removed from the U.S. Constitution during the Civil War.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: Government and Constitution: 13th Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, but not ratified until December 6, 1865. This article provides an explanation and summary of the 13th Amendment or Fugitive Slave Clause that abolished slavery.
Primary
US Government Publishing Office

U.s. Government Publishing Office: Thirteenth Amendment [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Complete text of the thirteenth amendment of the United States Constitution.
Primary
Other

Karpeles: Emancipation Proclamation Amendment to the Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
A copy and transcription of the 13th Amendment which ended slavery. The sidebar gives a brief overview of emancipation and what led to this amendment.
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: The Civil War's Legacy

For Students 11th
In this tutorial, students look at how the Civil War ended and the impact on the North and the South and on the future of the United States. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution are also examined for how they came...
Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: The Reconstruction Amendments

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An article that discusses the 13-15th amendments and their impact on social history.
Graphic
Curated OER

Passge of the 13th Amendment

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Passge of the 13th amendment. Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, January 31, 1865.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875

For Teachers 10th - 12th
The Dred Scott case decided that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. However, 18 years later they would have citizenship and many other rights. Young scholars will examine the following documents to understand how...
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Thirteenth Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
Presents the Thirteenth Amendment - Slavery and Involuntary Servitude, which abolished slavery and forced servitude in the United States. Includes four annotations to the Amendment.
Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Thirteenth Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
This source provides the Thirteenth Amendment as it is worded in the U.S. Constitution. At the bottom of the page are annotations with links to information about the abolition of slavery, origin and purpose of the amendment, peonage, and...
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Slavery and the Making of America: Freedom & Emancipation

For Students 9th - 10th
Using primary documents, oral histories and other historical resources, learn about the African American reaction to emancipation and to events from the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"Will you please let me know if I am free?" wrote Annie Davis. Annie Davis was a slave who wrote this letter to President Lincoln 20 months after the Emancipation Proclamation. To understand her confusion, examine the following documents...
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Reconstruction Era

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes what the South was like after the Civil War ended. Many places were in ruins and people were desperately poor with many being homeless. Social structures had collapsed now that slaves had been freed. The Reconstruction era...
Handout
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The 1860s: Reconstruction

For Students 3rd - 8th
Here is an article on the Reconstruction, which touches briefly on several issues that arose during this period, specifically in Texas: President Johnson's Reconstruction plan, assimilation and rights of freed slaves, the 13th and 14th...
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Holidays for Kids: National Freedom Day

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about National Freedom Day. This site discusses the history and facts about this holiday which commemorates the 13th amendment.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era brought about the end of slavery and the expansion of civil rights to African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Compare the Northern and Southern states, discover the concepts of...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision,...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will study a letter from Annie Davis, a woman who was enslaved in Maryland and wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to find out if 'we are free.' The students will decide if she received her freedom...
Unit Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Citizens: African American Identity: 1865 1917

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the efforts of African Americans to be recognized as equal citizens after the Civil War, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Includes links to supplemental information.
Website
Other

Historical Boys' Clothing: The American Civil War: Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
Outlines the major programs of the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, and the discrimination that African Americans faced, such as from the Black Codes and the Ku Klux Klan. Also discusses the amendments made to the Constitution...
Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The 1860s: The Civil War and the End of Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
What is the origin of the Texas holiday Juneteenth? Here is a brief article on how this day is connected to the Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of slaves in the South.
Interactive
iCivics

I Civics: Games: Do I Have a Right?

For Students 9th - 10th
Play this game from iCivics that requires an understanding and application of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and a few other amendments to argue and win cases the clients bring into the law firm. There...