In the Declaration of Independence, our Founders proclaimed that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  How, then, can we reconcile these principals with the history, both in the world and in the American colonies, of slavery?

We can't.  "Slavery is America's original sin."  Though some Founders sought to include the imposition of slavery as one of the many grievancesin the Declaration of Independence, the clause was ultimately removed.  So begins the difficult, frustrating, and long journey toward abolition of slavery in the United States.

In this episode, we focus on the Thirteenth Amendment, which amended Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution and abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

Slavery is a difficult, brutal, uncomfortable topic. But that makes i…