Documents of Freedom, 1863 to 1865
D2.His.10.3-5
Read each source, then answer the questions.
The Thirteenth Amendment
Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in December 1865, after the Civil War ended. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
- 1. What does the amendment say shall not exist?
- 2. How is this amendment different from a proclamation issued during a war?
- 3. What does Section 1 not say about the rights of people who had been enslaved?
Black Soldiers in the Union Army
An information text written for this worksheet. After the Emancipation Proclamation, the Union army began enlisting Black soldiers in large numbers. About 180,000 Black men served in the Union army, and about 19,000 in the navy. Many had escaped from slavery. They served in separate regiments called the United States Colored Troops, usually led by white officers. At first they were paid less than white soldiers. In 1864 Congress voted to give them equal pay. Black soldiers fought in about 40 major battles of the war.
- 1. What unfair treatment did Black soldiers face at first?
- 2. What does this text not tell you about the soldiers after the war?
- 3. About how many Black men served in the Union army?
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