This Thursday, December 6, 2018, marks the third annual celebration of Abolition Day. Abolition Day was launched by the Humane Party in 2015 both (i) to commemorate the end of human slavery in the United States (1865) and (ii) to promote the abolition of all slavery. The date of December 6 was chosen for this national celebration because it was on this day in 1865 that the number of states necessary to ratify the 13th Amendment was reached.
Abolition Day Infographic for 2018
The Humane Party and the Abolition Amendment represent the natural and inevitable next step in a U.S. legal-political movement that is more than 200 years old. This year’s Abolition Day infographic depicts three landmark moments in that movement by tracing a key legal phrase—“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…”—through its three major embodiments, namely:
- The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which forbade human slavery in a territory that eventually became five new states;
- The 13th Amendment (1865), which abolished human slavery throughout the U.S. but which, like its predecessor, allowed an exception for cases of criminal punishment; and
- The Abolition Amendment (proposed 2016), which will, upon ratification, abolish all forms of slavery, regardless of species; unlike the Northwest Ordinance and the 13th Amendment, the Abolition Amendment provides no exceptions to the prohibition of slavery.
Abolitionists and vegan, animal rights activists are encouraged to become familiar with these dates and documents so that they can be easily referenced in discussions and debates with pro-slavery voters, candidates, and political parties.
This year’s Abolition Day infographic is, like many other images related to veganism and the abolition movement, available through the HP images database. Activists are encouraged to download and circulate these images to promote the immediate abolition of all forms of slavery.
The Humane Herald 