13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Introduction
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Soon after the Civil War, Congress passed three amendments known as the Reconstruction Amendments—the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments aimed to protect African Americans' civil rights. The states ratifying these amendments drew new attention to women's rights and suffrage.
13th Amendment
On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the proposed Amendment. The 13th Amendment states, "Neither Slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." To summarize, the Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States. However, there is one exception to this Amendment, and that is punishment for a crime. This means that if you were to commit a crime, you could be arrested and prosecuted.
14th Amendment
On July 28, 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified by the states and became part of the supreme law of the land. The Amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States." This granted former slaves citizenship. The Amendment also states, "Nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This means that due process and equal protection of the law now apply to both the federal and state governments. Also, this amendment got rid of the 3/5 compromise as slaves are now citizens of the United States.
15th Amendment
On February 3, 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified by the United States. The Amendment states, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by a State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment granted African American men the right to vote. This amendment was not enforced well due to a term called disenfranchisement, which means the state is deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote. This was due to segregation rules (separate but equal). This amendment also sparked heated debates over women's suffrage.
Civil Rights Legacy
The Reconstruction Amendments established the constitutional framework that helped enforce Reconstruction and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1875. These acts aimed to end slavery and ensure full citizenship, civil rights, and voting rights to freed African Americans. This also addressed the growing violence and intimidation against African Americans in the South. However, Supreme Court decisions like Plessy V. Ferguson and the court upholding segregation laws that created "separate but equal" opened the door for racial violence, disenfranchisement through literacy tests, and Jim Crow segregation in the South.
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