Watching this resources will notify you when proposed changes or new versions are created so you can keep track of improvements that have been made.
Favoriting this resource allows you to save it in the “My Resources” tab of your account. There, you can easily access this resource later when you’re ready to customize it or assign it to your students.
The Civil War Amendments protected equality for emancipated slaves by banning slavery, defining citizenship, and ensuring voting rights.
Identify the key provisions of the three Civil War amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, known collectively as the Civil War Amendments, were designed to ensure equality for recently emancipated slaves.
The 13th Amendment banned slavery and all involuntary servitude, except in the case of punishment for a crime.
The 14th Amendment defined a citizen as any person born in or naturalized in the U.S., overturning the Dred Scott V. Sandford (1857) Supreme Courtruling stating that Black people were not eligible for citizenship.
The 15th Amendment prohibited governments from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote based on race, color, or past servitude.
The 13th (1865), 14th (1868), and 15th Amendments (1870) were the first amendments made to the U.S. constitution in 60 years. Known collectively as the Civil War Amendments, they were designed to ensure the equality for recently emancipated slaves.
While the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) officially ended slavery within the U.S., many citizens were concerned that the rights granted by war-time legislation would be overturned. The Republican Party controlled congress and pushed for constitutional amendments that would be more permanent and binding. The three amendments prohibited slavery, granted citizenship rights to all people born or naturalized in the U.S. regardless of race, and prohibited governments from infringing on voting rights based on race or past servitude.
The 13th Amendment
This amendment explicitly banned slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States. An exception was made for punishment of a crime. This amendment also gave Congress the power to enforce the article through legislation.
The 14th Amendment
This amendment set out the definitions and rights of citizenship in the United States. The first clause asserted that anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. is a citizen of the U.S. and of the state in which they live. It also confirmed the right to due process, life, liberty, and property. This overturned the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) Supreme Court ruling that stated that Black people were not eligible for citizenship.
The amendment also defined the formula for determining political representation by apportioning representatives among states based on a count of all residents as whole persons. This contrasted with the pre-Civil War compromise that counted enslaved people as three-fifth in representation enumeration. Southern slave owners wanted slaves counted as whole people to increase the representation of southern states in Congress. Even after the 14th Amendment, native people not paying taxes were not counted for representation.
Finally, the amendment dealt with the Union officers, politicians, and debt. It banned any person who had engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. from holding civil or military office. Finally, it declared that no debt undertaken by the Confederacy would be assumed by the United States.
The 15th Amendment
This amendment prohibited governments from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote based on race, color, or past servitude .
While the amendment provided legal protection for voting rights based on race there were other means that could be used to block Black citizens from voting. These included poll taxes and literacy tests. These methods were employed around the country to undermine the Civil War Amendments and set the stage for Jim Crow conditions and for the Civil Rights movement.
13th Amendment: no denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or past servitude, 15th Amendment: no slavery or involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime, The 14th Amendment: no deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process, or The 13th Amendment: no office-holding for anyone engaged in rebellion against the U.S.
Protects citizens from the abuses of state governments, Prohibits slavery, Ensures a citizen’s right to privacy, Guarantees the right to trial by jury., or Ensures citizens equal protection under the law.
Source: Boundless. “The Civil War Amendments.” Boundless Political Science. Boundless, 26 May. 2016. Retrieved 27 May. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/civil-rights-5/slavery-and-civil-rights-39/the-civil-war-amendments-222-11225/