What was abolished under the constitution

The enforcement of any disability arising out of Untouchability shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law. Untouchability is neither defined in the Constitution nor in the Act. It refers to a social practice which looks down upon certain depressed classes solely on account of their birth and makes any discrimination against them on this ground.

Their physical touch was considered to pollute others. They were not allowed to enter some temples and suffered many other disabilities. Inclusion of this provision in the Constitution shows the importance attached by the Constituent Assembly towards eradication of this evil practice.

Promotion of educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections. The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. Provided that the number of offices of chairpersons reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Panchayats at each level in any State shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of such offices in the Panchayats at each level as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the State or of the Scheduled Tribes in the State bears to the total population of the State:.

Provided further that not less than one-third of the total number of offices of Chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level shall be reserved for women:. Provided also that the number of offices reserved under this clause shall be allotted by rotation to different Panchayats at each level. Reservation of seats and special representation to cease after [fifty years]. Not withstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Part, the provisions of this Constitution relating to-.

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Interactives Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Related Resources. Reconstruction View Collection. Abolition and the Abolitionists. Last-minute drama ensued when rumors started flying that Confederate peace commissioners were en route to Washington or already there , putting the future of the amendment in serious doubt.

But Lincoln assured Congressman James Ashley, who had introduced the bill into the House, that no peace commissioners were in the city, and the vote went ahead. As it turned out, there were in fact Confederate representatives on their way to Union headquarters in Virginia. On February 3, at the Hampton Roads Conference , Lincoln met with them aboard a steamboat called the River Queen, but the meeting ended quickly, after he refused to grant any concessions.

On January 31, , the House of Representatives passed the proposed amendment with a vote of , just over the required two-thirds majority. The following day, Lincoln approved a joint resolution of Congress submitting it to the state legislatures for ratification. But he would not see final ratification: Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, , and the necessary number of states did not ratify the 13th Amendment until December 6. While Section 1 of the 13th Amendment outlawed chattel slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime , Section 2 gave the U.

The law invalidated the so-called black codes , those laws put into place in the former Confederate states that governed the behavior of black people, effectively keeping them dependent on their former owners. Congress also required the former Confederate states to ratify the 13th Amendment in order to regain representation in the federal government.

Together with the 14th and 15th Amendments, also ratified during the Reconstruction era, the 13th Amendment sought to establish equality for black Americans. Despite these efforts, the struggle to achieve full equality and guarantee the civil rights of all Americans has continued well into the 21st century. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery , OurDocuments.

The Thirteenth Amendment, Constitution Center. Norton, But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!