The 13th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified January 31, 1865. It makes slavery illegal, with the exception of using slavery as punishment. So, slavery is still legal in the United States. The odd thing is that none of the research I did shows that anybody objected to this or even insisted on it being in the amendment before they would ratify it. It was just a given that nobody had an issue with.
Because of this exception, we have seen the for-profit prison system used as a housing unit for unjustly convicted Black men and women. We have seen the school-to-prison pipeline developed. The 13th Amendment just shifted slavery from people's homes and farms, and moved it to for-profit prisons. It didn't take long for white people to learn how to exploit it for their own benefit.
I highly recommend the Ava DuVernay documentary 13th, which is available on Netflix, to learn more about the 13th Amendment and it's use through the years. It is very eye-opening.
The 13th Amendment is a great example of white supremacy being upheld. On the page, it looks great, but it ultimately keeps the status quo, if white people figure out how to use it properly.
Here are more resources about the 13th Amendment:
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