Enforced by Congress

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Section 2 of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:   “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” This provision gives Congress the responsibility of enforcing it and carrying out its principles.

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “Under this amendment Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of March 1, 1875.  The part of this act which allowed the federal government to take action against `individuals’ who were guilty of discrimination against Negroes was held unconstitutional on the ground that the Thirteenth Amendment gives the federal government power to regulate only states and not individuals.  The court said that provisions of this kind came within the police power of the state.  However, beginning with a series of civil rights acts in 1963, the jurisdiction of the federal government was broadly expanded to enforce civil rights along practically every dimension of American life.  The new acts , with Supreme Court support, overturned the ruling of 1875 and allowed the federal courts to enforce their decrees against individuals, schools, labor unions, restaurants, hotels, major industries, and other enterprises, both public and private.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 721.)

                Herman Belz of The Heritage Foundation explained, “By conferring power on Congress to enforce the prohibition of slavery throughout the United States, the Thirteenth Amendment altered the relationship between the states and the federal government.  State power to recognize or establish slavery as a legal institution was withdrawn; to that extent, at least, state authority to regulate the personal liberty and civil rights of individuals within their jurisdiction was restricted beyond the limits imposed by the original Constitution.  Unlike most other parts of the Constitution, which are designed only to limit governmental action, enforcement of the Thirteenth amendment is not limited by the requirement that it apply only to actions by states or state officials.  The amendment establishes a rule of action for private individuals as well as for state governments.  In the language of constitutional law, enforcement of the amendment is not limited by the requirement that the amendment’s prohibitions apply only to state action.  The U.S. Constitution, for the most part, does not apply to individuals except when they act under color of law (e.g., the policeman who searches your house).  The Thirteenth Amendment is different because it applies to private individuals acting in their private capacities.  A person violates the Thirteenth Amendment if he keeps a slave.  Where the fundamental right of personal liberty is concerned, the distinction between public and private spheres, which otherwise serves as a limitation on government power in the United States, is not recognized under the Thirteenth Amendment.”  (See The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, p. 381.)

No Forced Labor for Criminals

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:  “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.”  Convicted criminals can be forced to provide labor as part of their punishment for breaking the law.

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “But the convict cannot be leased out to a private contractor who pays his fine.  It has been held unconstitutional for a criminal to have his fine paid by someone and then be forced to work until the fine is paid.

                “However, the court has allowed cities and counties to assign prisoners to work out their fines on the street and roads, on public parks, and so forth.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 720.)

No Slavery or Involuntary Servitude

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America:  “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude … shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”  This provision guarantees that each American has the right to be free.

                W. Cleon Skousen explained, “Congress had previously abolished slavery in the District of Columbia and in the territories.  It had also repealed a fugitive slave law and had given freedom to Negroes who had served in the Union armies.

                “The Emancipation Proclamation had not liberated all of the slaves.  It had freed the slaves in the seceding states of the Confederation but it had provided for exceptions in certain parishes (counties) in Louisiana, a few counties in Virginia, and the entire state of Tennessee.  Furthermore, the slaves were not liberated in Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri, which had remained in the Union.  In addition to this, the validity of this proclamation under the war powers of the President was seriously questioned.

                “To remove any possible doubt as to the liberation of slaves everywhere within the United States, this amendment was adopted.

                “It is interesting that in the history of the United States not all of the slaves have been black.  In the early settlements in America many of the colonies had white slaves or persons who had been sold into peonage.  In fact, English felons were sold to the colonists to work out their terms of imprisonment in servitude.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 720.)

                Herman Belz of The Heritage Foundation explained, “The Thirteenth Amendment was intended to establish a positive guarantee of personal liberty, expressed in the negative form of a proscription of slavery or involuntary servitude.  Viewed in historical context and in the traditions of American political thought, the amendment is an affirmation of the idea that liberty, in the most fundamental sense, consists in the right of individuals not to be interfered with in the exercise of their natural rights.  As a guarantee of personal liberty for all persons in the United States, the amendment established a minimum national standard of equality.”  (See The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, p. 380.)