Questions: What was the significance of the 13th Amendment?

The answer is: it abolished slavery across the entire nation.

Explanation for each option:

1. It established the principles of the Bill of Rights: This is incorrect. The Bill of Rights, which comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, was ratified in 1791. It established fundamental rights and liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, as well as protections against governmental abuses. The 13th Amendment, ratified much later in 1865, did not establish these principles.

2. It granted voting rights to all citizens: This is incorrect. The 13th Amendment did not address voting rights. The amendment that specifically granted voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude is the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted voting rights to women.

3. It abolished slavery across the entire nation: This is correct. The 13th Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865, formally abolished slavery in the United States. The text of the amendment states: "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." This amendment was a significant milestone in American history, marking the end of legal slavery and paving the way for further civil rights advancements.