One of the most stirring moments in history was when Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Along with this crucial primary source, readers are treated to an amazing collection of essays about the abolishment of slavery and the Thirteenth Amendment. Readers will evaluate the historical defense of slavery and its rejection, reactions to Lincoln's proclamation, and they will learn how early Supreme Court rulings actually undermined this amendment's power. Other topics include segregation, housing developments, road closings, America's debt to slaves, immigrant labor, modern-day slavery, and slavery in American prisons and suburbs.