End of slavery in the United States of America facts for kids

Abolition of slavery in the various states of the US over time:     Abolition of slavery during or shortly after the American Revolution      The Northwest Ordinance, 1787      Gradual emancipation in New York (starting 1799, completed 1827) and New Jersey (starting 1804, completed by Thirteenth Amendment, 1865)      The Missouri Compromise, 1821      Effective abolition of slavery by Mexican or joint US/British authority      Abolition of slavery by Congressional action, 1861      Abolition of slavery by Congressional action, 1862ff.      Emancipation Proclamation as originally issued, 1 Jan 1863      Subsequent operation of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863      Abolition of slavery by state action during the Civil War      Operation of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864      Operation of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865      Thirteenth Amendment to the US constitution, 18 Dec 1865      Territory incorporated into the US after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment

For many years, some states in the United States allowed people to own other people as slaves. Most of these enslaved people were African Americans. Their ancestors had been brought from Africa during the Atlantic slave trade. Slavery began in North America in the 1500s. It was part of the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch ways of settling the land.

After the United States became a country in 1776, slavery started to end in the Northern United States. This split the country into states that allowed slavery and states that did not. Slavery finally ended everywhere in the nation in 1865. This happened with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment.

The Fight to End Slavery

The idea of ending slavery is called abolitionism. This movement grew in the United States over many years. People wanted to stop slavery, either slowly or right away.

One important event happened far away in 1791. The Haitian Revolution began in Haiti. This fight ended in 1804 with Haiti becoming an independent country. Slavery in Haiti ended there, making Haiti the first nation to abolish slavery.

Later, in the early 1800s, thinkers like Alexander von Humboldt visited the U.S. He believed slavery was wrong. His ideas influenced many American leaders. These included writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and future president Abraham Lincoln. The movement to end slavery became very strong. It lasted until the American Civil War. This war finally led to slavery being abolished in the U.S.

The Civil War and Slavery

The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. It was a conflict between the United States of America (called "the Union" or "the North") and the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy was made up of Southern states that decided to leave the Union.

The main reason for the war was slavery. A big problem was whether slavery should spread into new lands the U.S. gained after the Mexican–American War. In 1860, just before the war, about 4 million of the 32 million Americans were black slaves. Most of them lived in the South.

Slavery was a major political issue in the 1800s. Years of political arguments about slavery led up to the war. When the Civil War started, the U.S. had 34 states. Fifteen of these were slave states. Eleven slave states decided to leave the U.S. and formed the Confederate States of America.

Some slave states, like Maryland, Missouri, Delaware, and Kentucky, stayed with the Union. These were called border states. During the war, President Abraham Lincoln said that Confederate states had to abolish slavery to rejoin the Union.

After Southern lawmakers left in 1861, the U.S. Congress generally wanted to end slavery. In 1862, slavery was abolished in District of Columbia. This was a plan supported by Abraham Lincoln. During the war, some Union-controlled areas also ended slavery. Maryland and Missouri abolished slavery in 1864 and 1865. The new state of West Virginia, which separated from Virginia, also ended slavery in 1865.

The Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was an important order from President Abraham Lincoln. He issued it on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. Lincoln had announced it earlier, on September 22, 1862.

The earlier announcement said:

That on the first day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

On January 1, 1863, the Proclamation changed the legal status of over 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states. They were now legally free. If an enslaved person escaped to Union lines, they became permanently free. When the Union won the war, the Proclamation helped bring freedom to all parts of the former Confederacy.

The Thirteenth Amendment

The Thirteenth Amendment is part of the U.S. Constitution. It officially ended slavery and forced labor, except as punishment for a crime. Congress passed this amendment on January 31, 1865. It was approved by enough states by December 6, 1865. It became official on December 18, 1865. This was the first of three amendments passed after the American Civil War.

President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had declared enslaved people in Confederate areas free. When enslaved people reached Union lines, they were freed without their owners getting paid. On June 19, 1865, a U.S. Army general named Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He announced that the war was over and slavery had ended in the Confederate states. This day is now known as Juneteenth.

In states like Kentucky and Delaware, slavery was finally ended by the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865.

Juneteenth Celebrations

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States. It celebrates the freedom of African-American slaves. It also celebrates African-American culture. It started in Galveston, Texas. People have celebrated it every year on June 19 since 1865.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. President Joe Biden signed a law making it official. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 because that's when Union Army General Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3. This order declared freedom for enslaved people in Texas. Texas was the last state in the Confederacy to have official slavery.

During the American Civil War (1861–1865), enslaved people gained freedom at different times in different places. Many large celebrations of freedom happened. These were often called Jubilees. In Texas, freedom came later. When General Granger made his announcement on June 19, 1865, it became a big reason to celebrate. Even though slavery didn't end everywhere at that exact moment, African Americans kept this day special. They shared its meaning across the United States.

Media

• The documentary film, 13th, looks at how race, justice, and mass incarceration are connected in the U.S. Its name comes from the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment ended slavery in 1865.
• Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North is a 2008 documentary. It follows the family members of the DeWolf family. This family was involved in the Atlantic slave trade from 1769 to 1820. The film explores the history of slavery in the North of the United States.