<P> Though the amendment formally abolished slavery throughout the United States , factors such as Black Codes , white supremacist violence , and selective enforcement of statutes continued to subject some black Americans to involuntary labor , particularly in the South . In contrast to the other Reconstruction Amendments , the Thirteenth Amendment was rarely cited in later case law , but has been used to strike down peonage and some race - based discrimination as `` badges and incidents of slavery '' . The Thirteenth Amendment applies to the actions of private citizens , while the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments apply only to state actors . The amendment also enables Congress to pass laws against sex trafficking and other modern forms of slavery . </P>
what was the direct effect of the 13th amendment
formally abolished slavery throughout the United States