The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery; it was passed by the Senate on 8 April 1864, and by the House on 31 January 1865; it was ratified by the States on 6 December 1865; on 18 December 1865, the Secretary of State proclaimed its adoption; liberated countries customarily celebrate their independence with a national holiday; human freedom is an inalienable right superior to any other; human bondage and trafficking continue to be epidemic problems worldwide; it behooves every society to celebrate human freedom, and to commit to ensuring human freedom; the adoption and enactment of the 13th Amendment should be celebrated as Freedom Day on the Second Monday of December, always falling between the days of adoption and proclamation of the 13th Amendment.



