Catholic University Law Review Volume 34 Issue 1 Fall 1984 Article 9 1984 Involuntary Servitude: Modern Conditions Addressed in United States v. Mussry John M. Cook Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview Recommended Citation John M. Cook, Involuntary Servitude: Modern Conditions Addressed in United States v. Mussry, 34 Cath. U. L. Rev. 153 (1985). Available at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview/vol34/iss1/9 This Notes is brought to you for free and open access by CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Catholic University Law Review by an authorized editor of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. NOTES INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE: MODERN CONDITIONS ADDRESSED IN UNITED STATES V. MUSSRY To abolish all conditions of involuntary servitude that resembled African slavery,' the nation adopted the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution in 1865.2 Although the amendment was self-executing,3 Congress was empow- ered to enact laws to enforce the prohibition.4 A number of criminal statutes were passed subsequently, each addressing a particular condition or aspect of involuntary servitude.5 In 1948, Congress enacted a more broadly worded law, 18 U.S.C. § 1584, which forbade holding any person in involun- 6 tary servitude. 1. See infra note 6. 2. Section 1. 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. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.