amend the Constitution.
(3) Pennsylvania was one of the first states to approve
the measure as the General Assembly voted in support of
ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment and forever prohibiting
slavery within the United States on February 3, 1865.
(4) Pennsylvania's role as a leader in the abolishment
of slavery following the State's enactment of the Gradual
Abolition Act of 1780 helped contribute to the success of the
adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment.
(5) On the condition of ratifying the amendment to be
readmitted to the Union, Alabama became the 27th state to
ratify the Thirteenth Amendment on December 2, 1865, giving
the amendment the required approval of a three-fourths
majority of states to effectively abolish slavery in the
United States.
(6) The adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment found a
final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery and, in
tandem with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, greatly
expanded civil rights for Black Americans.
(7) The Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments,
which abolished slavery, guaranteed equal protection under
the law and granted the right to vote, are known as the
Reconstruction Amendments.
(8) Following the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments, many Black men and women had a
newfound freedom that they celebrated and valued.
(9) Numerous Black individuals actively took up the
rights and opportunities of citizenship and held elected
government offices, including United States Senators and
Representatives.
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