More than 150 years after slavery was outlawed in the US, the practice persists in the form of forced, unpaid prison labor. Five states had the opportunity to end this.
by Natalia Marques, Peoples Dispatch
As children in the US learn in schools, slavery was abolished over 150 years ago during the nation’s Civil War in 1863. And yet, on the November 8 2022 midterm elections, five states, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Louisiana, and Alabama, voted on ballot measures that would end slavery in those states.
How is the US still be contending with slavery in 2022? The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery. However, it contained a powerful exception—slavery would be legal as punishment for a crime.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of prison workers are held in involuntary servitude, often unpaid and always below minimum wage. Tennessee, Vermont, and Alabama voted yes on ballot measures that would end all exceptions to involuntary, forced, and unpaid labor within prisons within their respective state constitutions. Oregon’s vote is too close to call with only 66% of results in, but also seems to lean towards ending all forms of slavery. Louisiana rejected a ballot measure known as Amendment 7, which would have changed the current constitutional language that permits prison slavery.
Recent Posts
New Poll Has An Independent Populist Upending The Senate With A Nebraska Upset
October 23, 2024
Take Action Now Dan Osborn is flipping the script, and a new poll has him flipping Nebraska’s crucial Senate seatBy Ryan Grim, Drop Site…
The Right Wants To Overturn A Foundational Labor Law
October 23, 2024
Take Action NowUnions need to plan a response now.By Shaun Richman, In These TimesThe foundational 1935 labor law…
The Democrats Have Always Been “Liberal” Interventionists
October 23, 2024
Take Action NowThe kind of progressivism that people expect from the Democratic Party has been subsumed by another politics.By…
Elon Musk’s Wants To Buy The U.S.’s Future
October 22, 2024
Take Action NowHere’s why Elon Musk’s million-dollar presidential lottery is ominous.By Sam Butler, Drop SiteElon Musk can…