Malcolm Rivera
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution are known as the Civil War Amendments. Passed in the wake of the Civil War, they abolished slavery and greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans. The 13th Amendment, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery in the United States. The 14th Amendment, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. The 15th Amendment, proposed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and likely ratified on February 3, 1870, guaranteed the right of citizens to vote.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| 13th Amendment | Abolition of slavery |
| Date proposed | 31 January 1865 |
| Date passed by Congress | 31 January 1865 |
| Date ratified | 6 December 1865 |
| 14th Amendment | Civil Rights |
| Date proposed | 16 June 1866 |
| Date passed by Congress | 13 June 1866 |
| Date ratified | 9 July 1868 |
| 15th Amendment | Right of citizens to vote |
| Date proposed | 26 February 1869 |
| Date passed by Congress | 27 February 1869 |
| Date ratified | 3 February 1870 |
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What You'll Learn
The 13th Amendment: Abolition of Slavery
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, also known as the Abolition of Slavery, was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. This amendment abolished slavery in the United States and its territories, marking a significant turning point in the nation's history.
Prior to the 13th Amendment, slavery was implicitly recognised in the original Constitution through provisions such as the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Fugitive Slave Clause. The Three-Fifths Compromise, found in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, stated that three-fifths of each state's enslaved population was to be considered when allocating seats in the House of Representatives, Electoral College votes, and direct taxes. On the other hand, the Fugitive Slave Clause, located in Article IV, Section 2, asserted that a slave remained a slave even if they escaped to a non-slavery state.
The path towards the abolition of slavery gained momentum during President Lincoln's presidency. In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all persons held as slaves within any state in rebellion against the United States were henceforth to be free. However, the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery nationwide, as it only applied to areas of the Confederacy in rebellion and not to the border states that remained in the Union. Lincoln recognised that a constitutional amendment was necessary to guarantee the abolishment of slavery.
From late 1863 to early 1864, several members of Congress proposed their own versions of an amendment to abolish slavery. The 13th Amendment was passed by the Senate in April 1864 but initially failed to pass the House. It was finally proposed by Congress and passed the House on January 31, 1865. The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification, with the required twenty-seven out of thirty-three states ratifying it by December 6, 1865.
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. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." With the adoption of the 13th Amendment, the United States constitutionally resolved the issue of slavery and expanded civil rights for its citizens.
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The 14th Amendment: Civil Rights
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are the three Civil War Amendments that significantly expanded the civil rights of Americans. The 14th Amendment, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, was a significant development in the Reconstruction program, aiming to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens.
The 14th Amendment extended the liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. The amendment's key provision granted citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby ensuring citizenship for those previously enslaved. This amendment also stated that "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law," protecting the rights of all citizens.
The 14th Amendment was intended to nationalize the Bill of Rights, making it binding upon the states. Congressman John A. Bingham of Ohio, the primary author of the amendment's first section, and Senator Jacob Howard of Michigan, explicitly stated that the privileges and immunities clause would extend the personal rights guaranteed by the first eight amendments to the states. However, historians disagree on how widely shared this interpretation was at the time, and the Supreme Court initially ruled that the amendment did not extend the Bill of Rights to the states.
The Reconstruction Amendments, including the 14th Amendment, provided the constitutional basis for enforcing and implementing Reconstruction legislation such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870-1871. These laws aimed to end slavery, ensure full citizenship, civil rights, and voting rights for African Americans, and address the growing violence and intimidation against freed African Americans in the South.
The 14th Amendment also granted Congress the power to enforce it, leading to significant 20th-century legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The struggle to make the promises of the 14th Amendment a reality continued for many years, with citizens petitioning, initiating court cases, and advocating for change.
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The 15th Amendment: Right to Vote
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are the three Civil War Amendments that significantly expanded the civil rights of Americans. The 15th Amendment, which concerns voting rights, was proposed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870. It states that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.
The 15th Amendment was a significant step towards racial equality in the United States, granting African American men the right to vote. This was a crucial development, as African Americans had been previously disenfranchised due to discriminatory voting practices and barriers to voter registration. The amendment was seen as the fulfilment of promises made to African Americans, who had gained freedom through the 13th Amendment and citizenship through the 14th.
The amendment's adoption was not without opposition, as it faced a difficult ratification fight and resistance from Democrats. However, it was eventually certified as part of the Constitution on March 30, 1870. The first black person known to vote after its adoption was Thomas Mundy Peterson, who cast his ballot on March 31, 1870, in a Perth Amboy, New Jersey, referendum election.
Despite the progress brought about by the 15th Amendment, African Americans continued to face barriers to voting and participation in public life. From 1890 to 1910, the Democratic Party in the Southern United States enacted "Jim Crow" laws that raised voting barriers, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, resulting in the disenfranchisement of many African American and poor white voters. Intimidation by Democrats through the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) also contributed to suppressing black political participation.
It wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that all remaining deterrents to exercising the right to vote were abolished, and federal supervision of voter registration was authorized to address discriminatory voting practices. This act, along with subsequent extensions and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, played a crucial role in ensuring that the promises of the 15th Amendment were more fully realized, allowing African Americans to participate more equally in American public and civic life.
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The Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th Amendment, passed at the end of the Civil War, found a constitutional solution to the issue of slavery, finally abolishing it. The 14th Amendment, passed in 1868, extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people, ensuring birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law. It also eliminated the three-fifths rule and punished states that did not permit male citizens over 21 years old to vote.
The 15th Amendment, which became a part of the Constitution in 1870, expanded voting rights by prohibiting discrimination based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". The Reconstruction Amendments also granted Congress the power to enforce the amendments' provisions through federal legislation, such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870-71.
Despite their importance, the Reconstruction Amendments have served more as an aspirational goal than a concrete reality in the years since their adoption. Southern state legislatures created segregation or Jim Crow laws to circumvent the demands of the 14th Amendment, for example. Nonetheless, the Reconstruction Amendments remain in use today and are frequently cited as important milestones in the expansion of civil rights for Americans.
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The Civil Rights Acts
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution are known as the Civil War Amendments. These amendments greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans, specifically African Americans who had been previously enslaved.
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery in the United States. It states 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."
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, extended the liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," and included the provision that "nor shall any state deprive any 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."
The 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was proposed by Congress on February 26, 1869 and ratified on February 3, 1870. It guaranteed the right of citizens to vote, regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
The Civil War Amendments provided the constitutional basis for the passage of federal legislation aimed at ending slavery and ensuring full citizenship, civil rights, and voting rights for African Americans. This included the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870-1871.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first federal civil rights legislation in the United States. It was enacted to protect the civil rights and freedoms of African Americans, granting them full citizenship and ensuring their legal equality. The Act prohibited discrimination based on race, colour, or previous condition of slavery.
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was another significant piece of legislation that barred racial discrimination in public accommodations. However, it was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Civil Rights Cases (1883). This decision, along with the end of Reconstruction in 1877, contributed to the rise of racial violence and segregation in the South.
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Frequently asked questions
The 3 Civil War Amendments are the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865.
The 14th Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868.
The 15th Amendment guaranteed the right of citizens to vote. It was proposed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870.
