The United States of America has traditionally been considered one of the most democratic states, whose citizens are guaranteed personal and political freedoms. However, a century and a half ago, slavery flourished in the United States. Black slaves, whose ancestors were once brought to the North American continent from Africa, were freed only in the mid-1860s.
Instructions
Step 1
Slavery in the United States was formally abolished in June 1862. For this, a special law was issued, which was solemnly signed by President Abraham Lincoln. But it was impossible to abolish slavery with a stroke of the pen. For the law to come into effect, and for the slave black population of the southern states to receive the long-awaited freedom, the American state needed to go through a civil war.
Step 2
The movement for the emancipation of slaves developed in the United States in the first third of the 19th century, much earlier than the moment when the very idea of abolishing slavery received support at the highest state level. Caring citizens of the country united in societies that fought for the rights of black slaves. This movement was called abolitionism. Attempts were even made to liberate the slaves by armed force, which, however, ended in failure.
Step 3
Slavery became one of the causes of the civil war that unfolded in the United States. There were other compelling reasons for the North-South opposition, but the existence of slavery was one of the most acute divisions. In the northern states, capitalist relations were actively developing, requiring cheap and free labor. And at this time, slaves were still working on the southern plantations of the country. A contradiction arose, which was resolved during the armed confrontation.
Step 4
The emancipation of the slaves began with the onset of the civil war that began in 1861. It lasted over four years. The law on the emancipation of slaves, adopted during the war, actually proclaimed the abolition of the previous relations that had hampered the progressive development of the United States, but the outcome of hostilities remained unclear for a long time. Still, black Americans took the southern slavery abolition bill with great enthusiasm.
Step 5
The next stage in the emancipation of slaves was the corresponding proclamation, signed by President Lincoln. It declared free all, without exception, slaves who lived in the South. The President was aware that the proclamation did not have a reliable legal basis without amending the country's constitution.
Step 6
Only an amendment made to the country's fundamental law could finally decide the fate of slavery. Such a change would deprive slave owners of a legal basis to claim back their living property. In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution was passed and approved by Parliament. It outlawed forced slave labor in the United States. But these decisions gained real strength throughout the country only after the victory of the northerners in the civil war.
