![Picture](/uploads/1/3/9/7/139717632/published/abraham-13th-amend.png?1639527113)
Jones & Clark, Publishers. Lincoln and His Generals. United States, ca. 1865. New York: Published by Jones & Clark, 83 Nassau St. Boston, Mass.: Published by C. A. Asp, 129 Washington St, N.Y.: Printed by A. Brett, 83 Nassau St. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2009633824/. Photo in the Public Domain on Library of Congress. Accessed on Nov. 16, 2021.
Modern Day Slavery Through the 13th Amendment
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Has slavery truly ended in the United States or does it still exist to this day? The main purpose of this project is to argue that the prison system of the United States is a form of modern day slavery. By looking at the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States’ Constitution and the concepts of freedom by popular freedom theorists, the ways in which the modern prison system treats the people it imprisons like slaves without rights will be explored. When a person is imprisoned, they are stripped of nearly all of there rights as a citizen. They are confined to a prison, only able to see a jail cell and a couple of rooms, and do not have the freedom of movement. Also looked at is the infamous South African prison system, whose inner workings will be compared with the United States, giving the "prisons as enslavement" argument a transatlantic angle.
United States and South Africa
The history of the prison system is very complexed within the United States. From the formation of the federal prison system to current day reforms, the prison system in the United States one of much intrigue. Explore the history of the U.S. prison system, as well as contributing factors to factors to its racial disparity here:
The prison system in South Africa has a dark past as well. Seen as a form of punishment, those incarcerated experience much injustice as well as unethical treatment. This treatment is exemplified through the prison labor and living conditions that the inmates are subjected to. Learn more here:
See how the United States prison system and the South African prison system compare here:
Theories of Freedom
- Isiah Berlin's Positive and Negative Liberties
- Orlando Patterson's Personal, Sovereignal, and Civic Freedoms
- Neil Roberts' idea of Marronage
- Angela Davis and the Prison System
For more information on each of the theories listed above and how they fit into the prison system, please check out the United States and South Africa page under "Lack of Freedom in Prison Systems".
Meet the Team
Our team worked to create a useful and informative website focusing on the ideas of modern slavery. Our team focused on how the 13th Amendment allowed for slavery to exist in our current society through the prison system. The website also takes a deeper look into the prison system in the United States focusing on its history, forced labor, and the racial motives of the war on drugs. The website also provides a look into the prison system in South Africa providing a Transatlantic view of injustices in prisons. We hope you find the website helpful in answering any questions you may have.
Authors and Contributors:
We are all currently students at Butler University and this website was created for our Freedom and Movement GHS class.
Authors and Contributors:
We are all currently students at Butler University and this website was created for our Freedom and Movement GHS class.
- Emily Royston
- Bailey Sims
- SC
- Sandy Olson