Video: 'The 13th Amendment Explained: The Constitution for Dummies'

(Monday, December 18, 1865) — The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in effect today by Secretary of State William H. Seward, having been ratified by three-quarters of the states (including those in secession) as of Dec. 6, 1865.

Video: '13th Amendment - Decades TV Network'

Slavery is legally outlawed in the last two slave states of Kentucky and Delaware and the remaining 45,000 slaves are freed.