The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865 (Archive). This amendment effectively abolished slavery except as punishment for a crime (Archive). This was a major victory for blacks who had been a favorite target of slaves. For many, however, the amendment's passage failed to change the attitudes of white Americans. Blacks were clearly not welcome in many cities across the nation, laws allowing blacks to work within a city's limits, but requiring them to leave before sundown. We will look at what Sundown Town was; why they were created; how they were created; and how they were desegregated. When I first heard the term Sundown Town I had no idea what it meant. I interviewed my parents (Schmitz) who married in the 1950s. Neither of them remembered ever hearing the term Sundown Town between the 1950s and 1970s. My father remembered hearing stories about how blacks weren't allowed in some cities, but neither of us had personally experienced any encounters. When I was a sophomore in high school, the first black family moved into a house just outside of Plymouth, where I grew up, and I remember my parents telling us that we should “stay away from their kind,” I didn't know that as a teenager. be very careful, the children were smaller than me, I certainly had no reason to look for them, so I didn't. I always remember that conversation with my parents, especially because I didn't really understand why we should stay away from them. After graduation I moved to Appleton to attend school, this was my first personal experience with a person of color. One of my classmates was black, his name was Mikel and we became friends...... middle of paper......webionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lynch mobPossible Sundown Towns in WI (n.d.). In possible sunset towns in WI. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/sundowntownsshow.php?state=WISchmitz, Cecilia, and Lester Schmitz. Personal communication November 2, 2013. Appleton Exhibition in WI (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/sundowntownsshow.php?id=566Title VIII: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (n.d.). At the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/progdesc/title8Wexler, L. (2005, October 23). The darkness at the edge of the city. In the Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001715.html