WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says the 13th Amendment's abolishment of slavery was freedom for all.
The president joined congressional leaders on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the ratification of the amendment to the Constitution.
He said the nation was built on the premise that all are created equal.
Obama recounted how slavery shaped the nation's politics and nearly tore it asunder in the Civil War.
He said the scars are still with Americans today. He pressed for Americans to push back against bigotry in all forms.
