Question

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Congress passed and the states approved three amendments to the Constitution collectively known as the “Reconstruction Amendments”. Briefly discuss each of these three amendments, giving the provisions of each one. In your discussion of each amendment, be sure to include what problem or situation each was intended to solve. That is, provide the context of what was going on that made the amendment necessary.

Answer 1

The Reconstruction Amendments, the three amendments passed by Congress and approved by the states in the aftermath of the Civil War were prepared to face the challenges ahead. The main challenges were the integration of millions of emancipated African-Americans to the political mainstream and the federal representation of the states that were in rebellion. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were the Congressional Reconstruction to extend civil and legal protection to the former slaves.

The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States or any place under their jurisdiction. At the end of the war in 1865, the federal government put forward the requirement for new state constitutions which should include the abolition of slavery to be adopted by the former Confederate states. However, these states were reluctant to do this and reinstituted the practice of slavery. To put an end to this practice and to have federal control, the former Confederate states were required to ratify the 13th Amendment as a condition to regain federal representation.

On July 9, 1868, the 14th amendment was ratified, which granted citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the US including former slaves, and extended equal protection to all citizens under the laws, and granted the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states. This amendment authorized the federal government to punish the states that curtailed the citizens’ voting rights by reducing their proportional representation in Congress. This amendment lead to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and Voting Rights Act in 1965. The former Confederate states were required to ratify the 14th amendment as a prerequisite of giving federal representation.

On February 3, 1870, the 15th amendment was ratified, which prevented the states from any move to disenfranchise the voters on the basis of color, race, or their previous conditions of servitude. However, the amendment was incapable of controlling the states regarding imposing voter qualifications like instituting poll taxes, literacy tests, etc. This amendment to the Constitution also extended new protections to African Americans, though it had many loopholes, which prevented the community from achieving full equality.