Final answer:
The Thirteenth Amendment required ratification following its passage by Congress in early 1865. It was officially ratified by December 1865, effectively abolishing slavery throughout the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thirteenth Amendment and its Ratification
The Thirteenth Amendment was a landmark in American history, fundamentally abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. This monumental Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, during the tail end of the Civil War. It required ratification by the states, and the process was swiftly undertaken by the Union states, with the necessary three-fourths ratifying it by the end of the year.
Despite resistance and the independent stance of some Southern states, the pressure from the president and the Radical Republicans helped to move this process forward. The Amendment was officially ratified in December 1865, marking the end of a 250-year practice of slavery in North America and granting freedom to four million people. Section Two of the Amendment also gave Congress the power to enforce the article, thus ensuring its resilience in the face of future legal challenges.
The adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment also rendered the Constitution's infamous fugitive slave clause null and void, altering the very fabric of the nation. The ratification marked a significant turning point, leading to subsequent amendments like the Fourteenth and Fifteenth, which further shaped the landscape of civil rights in the United States.