Tenn. lawmakers work to remove slavery from State Constitution

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Tennessee lawmakers are working to pass a resolution for an amendment that would remove slavery and involuntary servitude from the Tennessee Constitution.

Five years after the end of the Civil War, the Tennessee Constitution was amended to prohibit slavery; however, one exception remained. Tennesseans will have the opportunity to vote on Amendment 3, which would rid the state Constitution of the exception.

The proposed amendment would be to Article I, Section 33 of the Constitution of Tennessee, that currently states the following:

The proposed amendment was passed in a Senate joint resolution in 2019 and 2021 as required by Tennessee law, with overwhelming support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Tennessee.

Bipartisan supporters of the amendment said they wish to change the statement to say the following instead:

Amendment 3 would replace the Tennessee Constitution’s conditional ban on slavery that has lasted for over 150 years. Organizers of the “Vote Yes on 3″ campaign say it is long overdue to commemorate the promise of abolition in Tennessee’s foundational legal document.

To learn more about Amendment 3, click here.

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