Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution (AMPU)

The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. This amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the United States Bill of Rights.

Background
The Eighth Amendment was adopted, as part of the Bill of Rights, in 1791. It was put forth by Benjamin Franklin in 1787 on behalf of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, and was supported by James Livingston of Quebec and Joseph Brant of Iroquois. By the time of the Constitutional convention slavery had been outlawed in 9 states (Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,, mostly in the north of the country, but remained in practice in the south, though Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas held the bulk of the nation's 670,000 slaves.