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who made the 13th amendment

The 13th Amendment wasn’t “made” by just one person; it emerged from several key lawmakers working within Congress, with strong support from President Abraham Lincoln.

Quick Scoop: Direct answer

  • The first formal proposal in Congress came from:
    • Senator John B. Henderson of Missouri, who introduced a joint resolution in the Senate on January 13, 1864 to abolish slavery.
* **Representative James M. Ashley** of Ohio and **Representative James F. Wilson** of Iowa, who had introduced similar anti-slavery amendment resolutions in the House a month earlier.
  • The final text was shaped by the Senate Judiciary Committee , which drew on these drafts to produce the resolution that became the 13th Amendment.
  • President Abraham Lincoln did not write the amendment’s legal text, but he was the central political force pushing it through:
    • He made abolition a core war aim.
    • He lobbied Congress personally and tied the amendment to the Union’s victory and the 1864 election.

So, in everyday terms:

The 13th Amendment was drafted mainly by Senator John B. Henderson and other members of Congress (including James Ashley and James Wilson), and it was driven to victory by President Abraham Lincoln’s political leadership.

A bit more context

  • The Senate passed the amendment on April 8, 1864, but the House initially failed; only after intense campaigning by Lincoln and his allies did the House finally approve it on January 31, 1865.
  • It was then sent to the states and ratified on December 6, 1865 , officially abolishing slavery in the United States (except as punishment for a crime).

In short, no single “author” made the 13th Amendment alone; it was a product of Radical Republicans in Congress, key sponsors like Henderson, Ashley, and Wilson, and the determined backing of Abraham Lincoln.

TL;DR:
If you need one name from Congress: John B. Henderson is most often credited as the primary Senate sponsor of the 13th Amendment, with crucial House leadership from James M. Ashley , all under the strong push of Abraham Lincoln.