Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. The Thirteenth Amendment was intended to complete the destruction of slavery begun by the U.S. government during the ...

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. National lawmakers are expected on ...

Washington D.C. (WHTM) On January 31, 1865, the U.S. Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which ended slavery in the United States, and sent it to states for ratification.