The Thirteenth Amendment was an amendment to the United States Constitution, meaning that it was a change to the basic and most important laws that govern the United States. It abolished slavery in the United States. It was passed in December 6, 1865, at the end of the Civil War with only a handful of Democrats supporting the Amendment in both Chambers of Congress. It was one of the Reconstruction Amendments. It repealed Article Four, Section 2, of the Constitution; the Fugitive Slave Clause.