The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments of The United States Constitution were important for implementing a total reconstruction of America and the blessings of of liberty to everyone that lived within the borders or our country. These ideas of equality would be reached out to the entire population including but not limited to slaves and their descendants and all American Citizens. These Amendments were especially important to African Americans and minorities who were the main victims of slavery and inequality during the time periods in which these Amendments were ratified. These amendments changed the way America operated as a country from politics to human rights and equality by granting freedom to sformer slaves and the prevention of discrimination from all citizens of the United States.
The Thirteenth Amendment to United States Constitution was passed by congress on January 31, 1865 and was ratified by the states on December 6, 1865 it declared that “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.” This Amendment was the first of three of what is historically known as the reconstruction amendments following the American Civil War. One of many major importances of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment was it created a constitutional law against slavery that banned this practice in all of the American States. There is a common misperception that the Emancipation Proclamation given by President Abraham Lincoln actually abolished slavery, this is not the case, it only proclaimed freedom to slaves in the ten states in rebellion and was not actually a la...
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In this essay I will be writing about the effectiveness of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America and considering whether they achieved the purpose of making life better for African Americans. I’m going to start this essay by talking about the Amendments and what they were designed to achieve.
Whites never gave total freedom to African Americans. Blacks were forced to endure curfews, passes, and living on rented land, which put them in a similar situation as slaves. In 1866, the KKK started a wave of violence and abuse against negroes in the south, destroying their properties, assaulting and killing them in different ways, just because angry white people do not want the blacks to stand up and join in political or any kind of issues or freedom. The Fourteenth Amendment did surely constitute the biggest development of government force following the approval of the Constitution.
...ious slaves the right to citizenship, meaning they were able to do anything that a normal citizen could do, for example hold seats of power. The Fifteenth amendment ensured that they were given the right to vote. However, the reason that their accomplishments were in vain was because they did not get rid of racism. Whatever advancement they made was taken back due to whites still believing in racism. After the Reconstruction era, the South feared an African American with power so they formed hate groups and technicalities to get around amendments. Even though the Fourteenth amendment ensured that slaves were given the right to citizenship, the whole ideal of “separate but equal” came into play. With the Fifteenth amendment, the South was able to justify the racist action of enforcing a literacy clause or a grandfather clause by writing it into their constitution.
After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was passed and slavery was abolished (Doc. 8). In addition, 14th and 15th amendments were passed which gave citizenship and the right to vote to African Americans (OI). If the slaves didn’t try fight for their freedom, the US would have the equal rights that they have today. This changed the fabric of the American population forever.
The Voting Rights Act marked a significant shift in American democracy, ensuring the right to vote for all regardless of race, religion, or sex. The key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, Section IV and Section V, ensured the overview of all state mandated voting laws, safeguarding constitutional values despite racial opposition. The breaking down of this provision under Supreme Court Ruling Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, Attorney General has the potential to undo decades of progress to tackle racial barriers, isolating and withholding the right to vote for the weak, effectively dissolving democracy for the ones who need it the most.
What amendment to the United States constitution is considered to be illegally ratified? What amendment both grants the right to vote to men and then takes away that right to vote? If you answered the fourteenth amendment to both questions you would be right. Although most people think of the fourteenth amendment as being a "civil rights" amendment, it also defines citizenship, voting rights, and states congressional representatives and electors numbers. In this paper I will talk about how the passage of the fourteenth amendment was a relevant event in history, how it impacts our country today, how it is viewed as the civil rights amendment in our textbook, how it has both positive and negative elements to it, and how I would have handled it.
On December 6, 1865, the thirteenth amendment to the United States constitution was ratified (Archives). This amendment effectively abolished slavery with the exception of a punishment for a crime (Archives). This was a great victory for blacks, who had been the preferred target for slaves. For many, however, the passage of the amendment failed to change the attitudes of white Americans. Blacks were clearly not welcome in many cities across the nation, with laws allowing blacks to work within a city’s limits, but requiring them to leave before sundown.
...as one of the most influential Amendments passed in the U.S. ended slavery, but African Americans still did not have the same rights that white Americans did. The 13th amendment made everyone seem the same. People should not be treated different and we are all equal.
To the African American community the 15th amendment was the most important amendment to the constitution. The 15th Amendment was made to provide every man, no matter what color he was, the right to vote. This made every man equal, although not all were treated that way. The 15th Amendment was very significant to many Americans of different races. This Amendment changed their lives forever by allowing them to vote.
Works Cited The "Civil Rights" Cornell University Law School, Inc. 2010. Web. The Web. The Web. 1 Apr. 2011.
With Lincoln’s reelection in 1864, he looked secure a formal demise to American slavery (Schultz, 2011). And thus, he sought to ensure the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment through his influences in Congress, which was passed on January 31, 1865 (Schultz, 2011). The amendment received enough support from Union states to be ratified by the end of that year, which made it an official part of the Constitution and ended slavery in America (Schultz,
Wolfe, Alan. "Most Americans Want to Revise Affirmative Action." Opposing Viewpoints: Interracial America. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. HAYFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL. 5 Sep. 2009 .
For more than a couple of centuries, African Americans were enslaved by white Americans during the 1600s-1800s. There was no action at that time to prohibit owning slaves until another amendment was made. The Thirteenth Amendment had gained more significance than any other Amendment before it. Abolishing slavery had created controversy which then led to a civil war between the northern and southern states during Lincoln’s presidency. Through 1861-1965, the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified eight months after the assassination of President Lincoln.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are the amendments adopted to the United States Constitution after the Civil War. In succession, these amendments were adopted to the Constitution. Thirteenth Amendment The 13th amendment was adopted speedily in the aftermath of the Civil War, with the simple direct purpose of forbidding slavery anywhere in the United States. The 13th Amendment took authority away from the states, so that no state could institute slavery, and it attempted to constitutionally grant the natural right of liberty. Thought that this amendment would suffice, Congressional Republicans pushed the amendment through.
Williams, W. W. (2013). Ruth Bader Ginsburg's equal protection clause: 1970-80. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 41.