The objective reality is that slavery is illegal in the United States and is severely punished. The exception clause in the 13th Amendment does not constitute slavery in any meaningful sense. If you choose to define it that way, that’s your interpretation, not an objective fact.

You are the one rejecting objective reality while insisting everyone else should end the discussion.

Moreover, you’ve been a pompous ass throughout this entire exchange. You’re unbelievably confident despite having no idea how wrong you are. That’s probably the most frustrating part. You act as though I’m the idiot and your position is the only defensible one.

Ask constitutional scholars, legal scholars, or attorneys who study this issue. Many will tell you exactly what I’m saying: equating the 13th Amendment’s punishment clause with antebellum chattel slavery is a contested legal and historical interpretation, not an established fact.

And honestly, this isn’t even for you anymore. I’m writing this for the one person who might read through the thread later. I don’t want someone walking away with the false impression that slavery is simply legal in the United States. It isn’t. That’s why precision and nuance matter.