The Enabling Clause is associated with which amendment?

• A. The First Amendment
• B. The Thirteenth Amendment
• C. The Fourteenth Amendment
• D. The Fifteenth Amendment

Answer: (B)

The Enabling Clause is the provision that gives Congress the power to enforce an amendment through legislation. In the Thirteenth Amendment, Section 2 explicitly states that Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. That language is why this clause is described as enabling: it authorizes Congress to pass laws to implement and protect the abolition of slavery and the end of involuntary servitude. This power to enact enforcement measures is what historically allowed Congress to address related abuses (like anti-peonage statutes) and to push federal action to back the amendment's promise. While other amendments also include enforcement provisions, the Enabling Clause is most directly associated with the Thirteenth Amendment.