Did the U.S. Government Make Itself Illegal in 1865?

The language of the 13th Amendment is pretty clear.

Section one of the 13th Amendment reads as follows:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Let us take a look at the characteristics of slavery and involuntary servitude. Both of these…

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