13th Amendment Abolishes Slavery [Deep Dive] - January 31, 2026

[00:00] Elise Moreau: Hello and welcome. I'm joined by Nina, and today we're looking at a date that stands as a pillar of legislative progress and cultural richness. [00:09] Elise Moreau: And I'm here with Elise. It is January 31, 2026. [00:14] Elise Moreau: Today on Deep Dive, we're exploring a moment that fundamentally rewrote the American story alongside a struggle for workers' rights and a trio of birthdays that span three centuries of artistry. [00:26] Elise Moreau: We begin in 1865. [00:29] Elise Moreau: On this day, the U.S. House of Representatives achieved something that many feared might never happen during the depths of the Civil War. [00:37] Elise Moreau: They passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which officially abolished slavery in America. [00:44] Elise Moreau: The vote was 121 to 24, and it was the culmination of an agonizing political battle. [00:51] Nina Park: Right. It's such a powerful piece of writing, Elise. [00:53] Nina Park: The amendment states very clearly, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, [00:59] Nina Park: except as a punishment for crime were of the party shall have been duly convicted, [01:03] Nina Park: shall exist within the United States. [01:06] Nina Park: It followed the Senate's approval from the previous April, and while the war was still [01:11] Nina Park: raging, this vote ensured that the post-war nation would be built on an entirely new foundation. [01:17] Elise Moreau: The aesthetic of that moment is often pictured through the lens of Lincoln and his cabinet, [01:22] Elise Moreau: but the reality was a grit-filled struggle for every single vote in the House. [01:26] Elise Moreau: Once it passed, it went to the states for ratification, which was finalized in December [01:31] Elise Moreau: of that same year. [01:32] Elise Moreau: It took... [01:32] Elise Moreau: It changed the legal definition of personhood in America forever. [01:37] Nina Park: While we're talking about structural changes to society, [01:40] Nina Park: we have to look across the Atlantic to Glasgow, Scotland. [01:44] Nina Park: 54 years later, on January 31, 1919, [01:48] Nina Park: the Battle of George Square broke out. [01:51] Nina Park: It was a massive confrontation during a strike [01:53] Nina Park: where workers were demanding a 40-hour work week [01:56] Nina Park: to help combat unemployment after World War I. [02:00] Elise Moreau: Exactly. The scale of that confrontation was staggering, Nina. [02:05] Elise Moreau: Police clashed with tens of thousands of strikers. [02:08] Elise Moreau: The government, fearing a Bolshevik-style uprising, actually deployed troops and tanks to the city center. [02:16] Elise Moreau: Seeing tanks in a British city was a shock to the public conscience [02:20] Elise Moreau: and marked this as one of the most significant labor disputes in British history. [02:24] Nina Park: It shows just how hard-fought the standard workday was. [02:28] Nina Park: Transitioning from the struggle for labor to the beauty of creation, [02:32] Nina Park: we have three very different but equally impactful birthdays to celebrate today. [02:37] Nina Park: We start way back in 1797 with the birth of Franz Schubert. [02:43] Elise Moreau: Schubert is such a fascinating figure, Nina. [02:47] Elise Moreau: Even though he died at just 31, he was incredibly prolific. [02:51] Elise Moreau: He is the master of the leader, or German art songs, [02:55] Elise Moreau: and his symphonies and chamber music are characterized by this exquisite, often melancholic beauty. [03:02] Elise Moreau: He really bridged the gap between the classical and romantic eras with such grace. [03:06] Nina Park: Yep. From the refinement of 19th century Vienna, we jumped to the bright lights of Broadway and the birth of Carol Channing in 1921. [03:15] Nina Park: She was such a force of nature. [03:18] Nina Park: Most people know her as the definitive Dolly Gallagher Levi and Hello Dolly, but it was that unique, gravelly voice and her larger-than-life stage presence that made her a true icon of American musical theater. [03:31] Elise Moreau: And we can't forget our third birthday, bringing us into the modern era. [03:35] Elise Moreau: Yeah. [03:35] Elise Moreau: Justin Timberlake was born on this day in 1981. [03:40] Elise Moreau: He has had such a remarkable evolution, hasn't he? [03:42] Elise Moreau: Going from the synchronized choreography of NSYNC to becoming a solo powerhouse with hits like Crimea River. [03:50] Elise Moreau: He really defined the sound of pop and R&B in the early 2000s. [03:54] Nina Park: He really did. [03:55] Nina Park: From the heavy weight of constitutional amendments to the light of the Broadway stage and the melodies of a pop star, January 31st is truly a day of massive shifts and enduring creativity. [04:08] Elise Moreau: It has been a pleasure exploring these stories with you, Nina. [04:11] Nina Park: Likewise, Elise. Thank you for joining us for this deep dive. [04:16] Nina Park: Find more at deepdive.neuralnewscast.com. [04:20] Nina Park: Deep dive is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [04:23] Nina Park: Explore history every day on Neural Newscast. [04:26] Nina Park: We will see you tomorrow.