Peonage Act of 1867

E2554

United States federal statute anti-slavery law

The Peonage Act of 1867 is a U.S. federal law that criminalized debt peonage and other forms of forced labor, reinforcing the abolition of slavery established by the Thirteenth Amendment.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form	Occurrences
Enforcement Acts	1

Statements (46)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	United States federal statute ⓘ anti-slavery law ⓘ
aimedAt	preventing re-creation of slavery through debt labor systems ⓘ protecting formerly enslaved people from coerced labor arrangements ⓘ
appliesTo	employers ⓘ private individuals ⓘ state officials who enforce peonage ⓘ
basedOn	Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ surface form: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
classification	anti-peonage statute ⓘ civil rights enforcement statute ⓘ
country	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
criminalizes	aiding in the enforcement of peonage contracts ⓘ holding any person to service or labor in liquidation of any debt ⓘ knowingly holding or returning a person to a condition of peonage ⓘ
enforces	Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ surface form: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
historicalContext	Reconstruction era ⓘ post–American Civil War period ⓘ
inspiredLater	subsequent federal anti-peonage and forced labor enforcement actions ⓘ
jurisdiction	United States government ⓘ surface form: United States federal government
languageCharacterization	broadly worded to cover various forms of debt-based coercion ⓘ
legalArea	civil rights law ⓘ criminal law ⓘ labor law ⓘ
legalEffect	made peonage a federal crime ⓘ preempted state laws or practices that supported peonage ⓘ
penaltyType	fine ⓘ fine and imprisonment ⓘ imprisonment ⓘ
prohibits	debt peonage ⓘ forced labor to work off a debt ⓘ holding a person to service or labor under the system known as peonage ⓘ involuntary servitude for debt ⓘ peonage ⓘ
protects	freedom from involuntary servitude ⓘ individuals from being compelled to work to pay off debts ⓘ
purpose	to criminalize debt peonage in the United States ⓘ to enforce the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ to prohibit holding any person to service or labor for debt ⓘ
recognizedBy	United States Supreme Court as an enforcement of the Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ
relatedTo	Black Codes ⓘ Reconstruction civil rights legislation ⓘ abolition of slavery in the United States ⓘ forced labor ⓘ involuntary servitude ⓘ
sectionOfConstitutionEnforced	Thirteenth Amendment ⓘ
usedIn	federal prosecutions against peonage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

United States Supreme Court as an enforcement of the Thirteenth Amendment → affirmsValidityOf → Peonage Act of 1867 ⓘ

Thirteenth Amendment → enforcedBy → Peonage Act of 1867 ⓘ

United States Supreme Court as an enforcement of the Thirteenth Amendment → legalInstrumentInterpreted → Peonage Act of 1867 ⓘ

Reconstruction era → significantEvent → Peonage Act of 1867 ⓘ

this entity surface form: Enforcement Acts