Professor says the 13th amendment led to worse treatment for African Americans

One local instructor is shedding more light on the emancipation proclamation and the 13th amendment.

You may have learned in school that these two laws ended slavery, but Wallace Community College history instructor Riley Turner says they actually made treatment towards African Americans worse.

Turner says the two legislative pieces only made buying and selling slaves illegal, but a loophole made it legal to enslave people through a process called convict leasing.

Many slave owners used convict leasing as a means of punishment because it was less regulated than slavery.

“Many of them even though the system was terrible were more careful to protect their investment. With the convict leasing system it actually opens the door for a more horrific mindset which is well we'll work them till they are and then just replace them with more convicts,” says Turner.

Turner’s presentation was a part of the Wallace Community College's Black History Month Celebration.