It is believed that Amendment 13 abolishes slavery. However, Amendment 13 - Section 1 reads:
"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."
The word "except" means that slavery was never abolished; it was simply banished and turned over to profit-making corporations.
Slavery in the prison system is just as much a business today as it was prior to the Civil War. In fact, one of the biggest purchasers of goods manufactured using this slave-like labor is the Federal Government.
We ask President Obama to remove the word "except" from Amendment 13 to end slavery now and take away the profit-making motive from the prison system.