War. The way that Congress made the law made it seem that it was helping the…
These actions underscored the ideological strength of the Radical Republicans in control of Congress, who continued Lincoln’s belief that American prosperity depended on a strong national government safeguarding equality. However, as early as 1865, some within the party began suggesting that using coercion wasn’t necessary to get the South to recognize the rights of Free Blacks (Ahern). Yet, the emergence of the first Black Codes, limiting personal and political rights, in states like South Carolina and Mississippi, showed the necessity of intervention to prevent people of color from returning to subjugation. On the other hand, the Radical Republican Party’s tight grip on power in some of the Southern States left them vulnerable to attack as being too tough on whites. In Missouri, a border state that was home to numerous Ex-confederates, Radicals removed political and voting rights from all the Ex-Confederates in an attempt to protect their state’s constitution from racism…
Citizens of the United States were found to be divided into two separate political groups during the ratification of the United States Constitution. The first group, the Federalist Party, having a nationalistic view, favored a strong central government, restricting powers of the states. However, the Republican Party believed that the power of the national government should be limited and the states be given additional power. Many different issues occurred between the two parties, however the debate on the first national bank, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798, establish why the republican party adopted these views on the government. The republican party felt that definite rights should be reserved by…
The implementation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments initially impacted the civil rights of all Americans by abolishing slavery, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and ensuring voting rights regardless of race or color. However, these rights were circumvented by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, who used violence and intimidation to suppress the rights of African Americans. It wasn't until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, led by activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., that the civil rights guaranteed by the aforementioned laws became a reality to all of America. Through protests, demonstrations, and legal challenges, these activists were able to secure legal protections for African…
One source of opposition to the proposed amendment was the women's suffrage movement, which before and during the Civil War had made common cause with the abolitionist movement. However, with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which had explicitly protected only male citizens in its second section, activists found the civil rights of women divorced from those of blacks.[14] Matters came to a head with the proposal…
Radical Republicans wanted complete rights and opportunities for black people and thought the country did not really change at all during reconstruction due to the Southern Whites restricting Freedmen’s rights. Radical Republicans believed that the country was made better by the 13th and 14th Amendments because it gave black people all the rights and freedoms that white people have. They fully supported the Freedman’s Bureau because they believed in equal opportunities for black people, and the Freedman’s Bureau focused on getting land, education, and jobs for freedmen. Had the Reconstruction Period consisted only of these governmental acts, they would have thought the country was much better after Reconstruction. However, white people enacted…
The United States Constitution (ratified in 1788) is the second oldest national constitution still being used today. This document serves as the guidelines which highlight the freedoms given to its citizens. The US constitution aimed to provide much needed stability and support to our new nation and succeeded in doing so. As one of the oldest constitutions, it serves as an example for democracies like ours across the world. The constitution is a living document, meaning it is made to evolve with the ideologies of society and is perpetually changing to accustom to these modern ideologies.…
As both the confederacy and Civil War ended , came the Reconstruction of America and the social classes’ power in the government. With the thirteenth amendment being approved by President Lincoln, slavery had been abolished in both the northern and southern states .The southern states were riled and violence erupted causing Congress to send an army force to watch over the South, and with the fifteenth amendment passing, the violence only increased. The fifteenth amendment gave the newly freed slaves and any person of color the right to vote and have a say in their government as it was used to give the Black population a head start into society. The people who were once less than the common white man were given the right to own land, seek education,…
The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments established a new vision of equality before the law, regardless of race, as the definition of American citizenship, and of the national government as the protector of the fundamental rights of all Americans (Intro X). Powerful words on paper, and if they would have been acknowledged by those whose prejudice against blacks was stronger than the acceptance that they are an individual people with rights, it is possible reconstruction may have lasted and our history as a country would have been much different. How would the country (or the world) be if reconstruction would have been a success? How would it have been if the Ku Klux Klan had not decided that white supremacy was the only way? I am disappointed that hate and racism are still so prominent in society today and not just whites against black, or blacks against white, it is everyone. History repeats itself, this is a known fact. Unless we do something, learn from past mistakes, and make the world a better place for our…
The 13th amendment freed tThe 15th amendment made it where black people could vote. he slaves. The fourteenth amendment gave former slaves equal protection under the law. After Abraham Lincoln started the Reconstruction, then was assassinated, the vice president at the time, Andrew Johnson became president. Andrew thought that it would be okay to let the south treat the blacks how they wanted to treat them.…
The thirteenth Amendment played a major role in American History. President Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 stating that all slaves should be free. It took many years and revisions to pass the amendment that would allow all slaves to be free worldwide. The 13th Amendment declared in section 1 “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, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction.” There were many people that did not like the proposal of the thirteenth Amendment especially the South since slavery was really big in that area. “Even though the 13th amendment did not fully stop slavery and inequality…
Posterior to the Civil War, African Americans weren't respected equally within society. Black codes were established, which meant cheap labor and an organized economy. African Americans weren't allowed to vote, carry weapons, or travel without permits which angered some citizens. Literacy tests, the grandfather clause, and poll taxes were used to prevent African Americans from voting in presidental elections. They also weren't allowed to marry persons of the white race, which probably upset many people during that time period. In 1868, the 14th amendment was officially valid, but it wasn't the end of all the segregation. Although it got rid of the Black Codes, discrimination continued and African Americans still had to deal with prejudice.…
Following the Civil War, Radical Republicans in Congress introduced a series of laws and constitutional amendments to try to secure civil and political rights for black people. This wing of the Republican Party was called “radical” because of its strong stance on these and other issues. The right that provoked the greatest controversy, especially in the North, concerned black male suffrage. Black Suffrage was a revolutionary impact for equality among African Americans in the United States.…
The 13th amendment was one of the most influential amendments to have ever been passed in our country. The passing of this amendment meant an ending to slavery and with that, an ending to an entire way of life. The Southern States that seceded from the union were forced to free their slaves and pass the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union. The south was then forced to find a new means of supporting themselves and working their cash crops. With this amendment passed, the African Americans were finally free. Although racism and segregation still played a major role in their lives, they were no longer forced to work as slaves. I hope that by reading this essay you will learn how much the 13th amendment has shaped our lives and this country today.…
The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments are often grouped together, known as the “reconstruction amendments”. The intention was to end slavery and give former slaves some Civil Rights. However, due to the creation of “grandfather clauses”, “literacy tests”, and heavy opposition, particularly in the South, slowed the progress and advancement of Civil Rights.…