The Reconstruction Amendments: A Case Study

13th “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” (loc.gov 2015). Does anybody know which amendment this is considered in our constitution? This is our 13th amendment of the United States, which states the form of slavery is not permitted in this day and age, or is it? The documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, is a documentary based on analyzing what the 13th Amendment means in todays society from multiple walks of life. The documentary 13th was nominated for Best Documentary Feature in the 2017 Oscar’s.

This Paper will examine the Impact of the 14th and 15th Amendment in America. These Amendments were known as reconstruction amendments, including the 13th amendment in the Unites States. Both amendments took a big role in America, and its people. This paper will also show the people that helped take these amendments into place and also the changes.

Reconstruction did not wait the war to end since Lincoln knows that it is a matter of executive responsibility.it was not an easy task though because this has led to arguments which have significant differences among the parties involved.

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.The 14th Amendment provides the citizenship, due process and equal protection clauses. The 13th amendment was adopted on December 6, 1865. It was preceded by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which freed all slaves from the Confederate states during the Civil War. Most of these states were in the South below the Mason-Dixon line.The 14th Amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868, and it is the longest of all the Reconstruction Amendments, having five separate sections. The amendment also covers citizen's' right to hold public office, suffrage, compensation for emancipation and debts of war.

In 1865 Congress passed the thirteenth Amendment stating” Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall

The South was still extremely unhappy regarding the freedom of the slaves. The Thirteenth 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

On December 6, 1865 the 13th amendment was introduced to the U. S Constitution. This amendment allegedly proclaimed to abolish slavery. Yet, the interpretation of the

It also allowed black men to join the Union Army and Navy, “enabling the liberated to become liberators.” (The Emancipation Proclamation) The big change in slavery and the fight for equality did not come until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865. With this event, it was 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.” (13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution) Although this Amendment did give slaves their freedom, it did not guarantee them the same rights nor the same treatment that other citizens of the United States had and took for granted. This was especially seen in the states that “enacted ‘black codes’ that were intended to limit the civil rights of the newly free slaves.” (Civil Rights) These “black codes” and the obvious difference in treatment were a large issue, and they were later addressed in the Constitution with the introduction of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868 and it made large changes for black individuals. This Amendment “granted citizenship to ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States,’ which included former slaves recently freed.” (14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) It also “forbids states from denying

During the Civil War, the president Lincoln promulgated the Emancipation Proclamation(Colling 5/22/17), this document helped the union win the Civil War.By the end of the war, the Thirteenth Amendment(Colling 5/22/17) of the Constitution was implemented. This amendment brought the freedom to the slave and it made Emancipation Proclamation permanent validity. The south returned to the union and started to reestablish. At first glance, the Reconstruction seemed all right and it fulfilled the promise of America. Nevertheless, a multitude of problems were still not addressed. Although the slave regained freedom again, but they can not integrate into society. In order to deal with this situation, the 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment(Colling 5/22/17) were implemented

The thirteenth amendment was the first to abolish slavery, or so people say. The thirteenth amendment reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as 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 constitution. This amendment could easily fool people into believing that all was right within the world. However, soon after this amendment was added to the constitution unjust laws started to pop up within the states, “When slavery was legally abolished. A new set of laws called Black Codes emerged to criminalize legal activity for African Americans. Through the enforcement of these laws, acts such as

America was in disarray following the events of the Civil War. Southern economy was in shambles while congress was struggling to find a middle ground between the radical republicans and Lincoln’s lenient policies. Many Southerners faced the aftermath of uprooting their society and their way of life while thousands of newly freed slaves struggled to find a way to support themselves. The country needed a strong leader, however on the 14th of April, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in the Ford Theatre in Washington (Farmer). Without the man that had once held the nation together, the country now faced an enormous obstacle; reconstructing American economics, politics and social life.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

The conclusion of the Civil War in favor of the north was supposed to mean an end to slavery and equal rights for the former slaves. Although laws and amendments were passed to uphold this assumption, the United States Government fell short. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were proposed and passed within five years of the Civil War’s conclusion. These amendments were to create equality throughout the United States, especially in the south where slavery had been most abundant. Making equality a realization would not be an easy task. This is because many problems were not perceived before and during the war. The reunification of the country would prove to be harder than expected, and entry into a new lifestyle would be

The 13th amendment of United States constitution prohibited slavery. By 1981 different nations had taken action accordingly and exiled slavery. While the legal type of slavery was abrogated, the unlawful sort of slavery was left to flourish. Unlawful bondage, alluded to as human trafficking originated before the US for centuries in places such as Egypt and ancient Rome has been

The First Reconstruction Act, also known as the Military Reconstruction Act, passed into law on March 2, 1867 over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. The act applied to all the ex-Confederate states in the South, except Tennessee who had already ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. The failure of Reconstruction brought social and economic equality of opportunity to the former slaves in 1865-1877. Due to the after effects of the Reconstruction, America was weak and as time passed, riots and violence occurred in place.