Slavery was formally abolished in the United States in 1865, when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress on January 31 and ratified by the states on December 6.

Quick Scoop: Key Dates

  • January 1, 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in states rebelling against the Union to be free, but it did not end slavery everywhere in the U.S.
  • June 19, 1865 – Juneteenth: enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom, marking a major symbolic end of slavery in the last Confederate state.
  • January 31, 1865 – Congress approved the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United States.
  • December 6, 1865 – The required number of states ratified the 13th Amendment, making the abolition of slavery nationwide law.
  • December 18, 1865 – The U.S. Secretary of State officially announced that the amendment had been ratified and slavery was constitutionally abolished.

HTML table (key facts)

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Date Event What it meant for slavery
Jan 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation Freed enslaved people only in Confederate states still in rebellion, not in all of the U.S.
Jun 19, 1865 Juneteenth in Texas Enslaved people in Texas were informed they were free; symbolically marks the end of slavery in the last Confederate state.
Jan 31, 1865 13th Amendment passed by Congress Proposed a constitutional ban on slavery in the entire United States.
Dec 6, 1865 13th Amendment ratified by states Legally abolished slavery nationwide, except as punishment for a crime.
Dec 18, 1865 Official proclamation of ratification Government formally announced that the U.S. had constitutionally abolished slavery.

Why “when was slavery abolished” is tricky

In everyday speech, people often point to different dates, depending on what they mean by “abolished.”

  • If you mean the legal, nationwide end of slavery in the U.S. , the key answer is:
    • December 6, 1865 – ratification of the 13th Amendment.
  • If you mean when enslaved people actually learned and felt that freedom , many highlight:
    • June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth in Texas), now a federal holiday.
  • If you mean the first big legal move against slavery during the Civil War , you might hear:
    • January 1, 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation.

In short, the law that truly abolished slavery across the whole United States is the 13th Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.