To be fair, the US is like a patchwork of small countries wearing a trenchcoat and in some states they have amended their constitution to rid themselves of the kind of forced labor you are referring to. Others are trying. It's not where it should be, but getting so many people to agree on something without killing each other can be a slow process.

It's not even a trait unique to the US. If you look at any region of the world close enough and you'll find evidence of some kind of Gulag or Gulag-like system. Does that excuse it? No, it's still an awful practice. But within the context of our conversation it is a negative part of a system that has positively changed over time without having to burn the whole thing down.