National Constitution Center
National Constitution Center: Thirteenth Amendment [Pdf]
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.
South Carolina Educational Television
Know It All: Reconstruction Amendments
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...
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The 13th Amendment
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.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: 13th Amendment
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.
US Government Publishing Office
U.s. Government Publishing Office: Thirteenth Amendment [Pdf]
Complete text of the thirteenth amendment of the United States Constitution.
Other
Karpeles: Emancipation Proclamation Amendment to the Constitution
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.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: The Civil War's Legacy
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...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: The Reconstruction Amendments
[Free Registration/Login Required] An article that discusses the 13-15th amendments and their impact on social history.
Curated OER
Passge of the 13th Amendment
Passge of the 13th amendment. Scene in the House on the passage of the proposition to amend the Constitution, January 31, 1865.
US National Archives
National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875
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...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Thirteenth Amendment
Presents the Thirteenth Amendment - Slavery and Involuntary Servitude, which abolished slavery and forced servitude in the United States. Includes four annotations to the Amendment.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Thirteenth Amendment
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...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Slavery and the Making of America: Freedom & Emancipation
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.
US National Archives
National Archives: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis
"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...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Reconstruction Era
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...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The 1860s: Reconstruction
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...
Ducksters
Ducksters: Holidays for Kids: National Freedom Day
Kids learn about National Freedom Day. This site discusses the history and facts about this holiday which commemorates the 13th amendment.
iCivics
I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction
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...
iCivics
I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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,...
US National Archives
Docsteach: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis
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...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Citizens: African American Identity: 1865 1917
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.
Other
Historical Boys' Clothing: The American Civil War: Reconstruction
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...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The 1860s: The Civil War and the End of Slavery
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.
iCivics
I Civics: Games: Do I Have a Right?
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...