This term refers to the action taken to officially end slavery in the United States. It was accomplished through an amendment to the Constitution.
Related terms
Emancipation Proclamation: An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War that declared all slaves in Confederate territory free.
13th Amendment: The constitutional amendment that formally abolished slavery in 1865.
Underground Railroad: A network of secret routes and safe houses used by African-American slaves in their escape to free states or Canada.