The 13th Amendment The 13th amendment was one of the most influential amendments to have ever been passed in our country. The passing of this amendment meant an ending to slavery and with that, an ending to an entire way of life. The Southern States that seceded from the union were forced to free their slaves and pass the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union. The south was then forced to find a new means of supporting themselves and working their cash crops. With this amendment passed, the African Americans were finally free. Although racism and segregation still played a major role in their lives, they were no longer forced to work as slaves. I hope that by reading this essay you will learn how much the 13th amendment has shaped our lives and this country today. Before I get in-depth on exactly what this amendment does, it might help you to know a little about how it got started. This amendment was proposed by Abraham Lincoln himself to the 38th congress. Lincoln was strongly against slavery and spoke his opinions freely. With his election to the presidency, South Carolina voted to secede from the United States. This started a number of secessions, 13 in all. These states included: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky, they then formed the Confederate States of America or CSA. The main reason for these secessions was because the southern states saw the new government administration as a threat to the rights of the States to keep their institutions, especially slavery. This secession movement lead to the civil war, and after the CSA was defeated, the formation of the 13th amendment. While the war was being fought however, congress was hard at work formulating the 13th amendment which was first proposed on January 31st, 1865 to the legislatures of several states by the 38th congress. When the CSA...The 13th Amendment The 13th amendment was one of the most influential amendments to have ever been passed in our country. The passing of this amendment meant an ending to slavery and with that, an ending to an entire way of life. The Southern States that seceded from the union were forced to free their slaves and pass the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union. The south was then forced to find a new means of supporting themselves and working their cash crops. With this amendment passed, the African Americans were finally free. Although racism and segregation