United States Congress · 1865
Paragraph numbers are editorial reading references for this edition.
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.
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.
2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/amend1.asp
Historical text: public domain in the United States. Source attribution retained; modern website editorial material excluded.
Source transcription extracted and structurally checked; not collated against page images. Ratified amendment text; source ratification notes retained where present.