Commemorating the Adoption of the 13th Amendment

Statement

On December 6, 1865, our nation took a great step forward on the road to becoming a land "with liberty and justice for all" when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was formally adopted.

The 13th Amendment declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

This pivotal amendment followed the Emancipation Proclamation, finally closing the door on an era of slavery.

We can all come together in celebrating the positive steps that have been taken, and in working towards a society in which all men and women are judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

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