The Enabling Clause is associated with which amendment?

The Enabling Clause is associated with which amendment?

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

Answer: (A)

The Enabling Clause refers to the provision that gives Congress power to enforce a constitutional amendment through legislation. In the Thirteenth Amendment, after abolishing slavery, Section 2 states: “The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” That explicit grant of enforcement authority is what the Enabling Clause is all about. While other amendments also include enforcement provisions, the term is most classically tied to the Thirteenth Amendment’s enforcement clause.

The Enabling Clause refers to the provision that gives Congress power to enforce a constitutional amendment through legislation. In the Thirteenth Amendment, after abolishing slavery, Section 2 states: “The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” That explicit grant of enforcement authority is what the Enabling Clause is all about. While other amendments also include enforcement provisions, the term is most classically tied to the Thirteenth Amendment’s enforcement clause.