History was made in the Vatican on Dec. 2, when Pope Francis and other leaders of the world’s main religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism—signed a joint declaration to work together to eradicate modern slavery in its various forms by the year 2020. Pope Francis was the first to sign the pledge “to do all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond, to work together for the freedom of all those who are enslaved and trafficked so that the future may be restored.” They declared that “modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking, and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.” Some sources put the number of people trapped in slavery at 36 million, including children.
End to Slavery?
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Ernest Martinson
9 years 4 months ago
The War of Secession put a violent end to slavery. Chattel slavery was abolished in 1865 with the Thirteenth Amendment. Sadly, partial slavery came back in 1913 with the income tax in the Sixteenth Amendment. Partial slavery was just in time to help fund the 1917 entry of the Land of the Free into World War I. Partial slavery continues to help fund today’s endless wars, but partial slavery may give way to full slavery when the bill comes due.
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