After 4 years of a brutal war that ended in the Union's favor, the U.S. faced a new challenge rebuilding our country. Reconstruction lasted for 12 years and during that time we attempted to put our nation back together. Reconstruction's goal was for whites and blacks to live together in a non slave society. However the Southern states were not welcoming to this idea because they still believed in slavery and they believed it was the only way to live in peace. Despite the intentions of the Reconstruction era, the failure to address equality ultimately led to the idea of white supremacy and the oppression over African Americans. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were a series of laws that aimed to abolish slavery, grant citizenship to …show more content…
The Laws of Mississippi 1865, was a Law that states that if you do not have a job you will be fined and imprisoned by the 2nd Monday of January 1866. This means that the just freed slaves will have a month to find a job or else they would go back to the way of life they just left. The 13th Amendment states that slavery is abolished except as a punishment, so Mississippi made it a crime so they could enslave the just freed slaves because they believed that slavery was a just thing to do. Mississippi wanted to keep slavery, so they found a loophole to keep it that way. In the years following the Civil War throughout the south, state, city and town governments passed laws to restrict the rights of free African Americans; these laws were known as the “Black Codes”. In the Louisiana Law it states that African Americans are only allowed with permission. The saying “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME” became a very popular phrase. They were not allowing any African Americans to do anything, be anywhere without permission from a white person, this is what started the idea of segregation. The Black codes were made to be discriminating against the African American race, which encouraged white
Following the prologue, Lemann focuses his research on Adelbert Ames, a Republican politician in Mississippi during the Reconstruction era, to detail the attempts to keep the south in accordance to Reconstruction policies issued by the Grant administration and federal government directly following the war. While he was initially appointed as provisional governor of Mississippi, Ames oversaw the 1869 election that passed the new Mississippi constitution, guaranteed rights for blacks and elected a heavily Republic legislature. While attempting to transform the political climate of the state, Ames listened to horrifying reports of his political enemies and observed the attitudes towards blacks which motivated him to campaign to be Governor: I
The three amendments that led to the belief of “America’s Second Founding” created a new, more humane, and progressive nation that would become the united nation that we know it as today. The United States was completely changed after the end of the Civil War when the Union and the Confederacy finally joined back together as one nation, but also solely due to the profound changes in the Constitution with the addition of these amendments. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments had very profound effects on the United State by abolishing slavery, developing rights of the citizens, and creating voting equality. Although these amendments may have not been immediately accepted or put to use like they were supposed to, but this was a giant and influential step in the development of the country after the Civil
However, it was a start to new meaning of the war and realization for the change. The passing of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 was what really freed the slaves once the Civil War was over. In the Thirteenth Amendment, it states in the Consitution that slavery is abolished and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime” (Roark, The American Promise: A Compact History,
Deliverance and emancipation began for many slaves the very day when Union Soldiers reached the townships and territories of the slave-holding states. Countless southern landowners and their families walked away from their plantations and farms as the war approached, and every city or location where the Union soldiers stepped, they were greeted by more and more African Americans looking for safety and refuge within the ranks of the Union forces. At the end of the war effort, approximately 4.2 million slaves were set free; however, these newly freedmen had absolutely nothing. Frederick Douglas said, “The freedmen were let alone – by everyone but their enemies” (Sterling, 1976). Nearly all were homeless, uneducated and all they had ever known
When the constitution was written slavery was still legal, but the north wanted to stop it, while the south refused. So the thirteenth amendment was created to make slavery illegal. Another good amendment was the nineteenth amendment which made it legal for women to vote.
There were many ways the Southern states tried to deny equal rights to African Americans. For example, the Jim Crow Laws were created in the 1890s by such southern states as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina,and Florida, segregating the races in such places such as railroads, restaurants, education, and libraries. An amendment that should have prevented the Jim Crow Laws was the 14th Amendment because it stated “equal protection of the laws” for every citizen. Another example how the South tried to restrict the African Americans was the creation of the Black Codes, which allowed white employers to give African Americans very low wages or to arrest jobless African American; these codes were justly viewed as another form of slavery. The 13th
The 13th Amendment The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, unless if it is punishment for committing a crime. The Amendment was passed on January 31, 1865. This Amendment has changed not only the lives of the slaves, or the slave owners, but the people of their future; the people of today’s society. The 13th amendment not only stopped slavery, but started a new type of slavery; the slavery of education.
After reviewing the US Constitution, the 13th Amendment is what really stood out to me: The abolishment of slavery. This made slavery and involuntary servitude illegal in the United States and any place under US jurisdiction. The history, importance, and function of the 13th Amendment will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Specifically, the 13th amendment abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude unless it is used as punishment. Slavery was practiced in the United States for 245 years before it was abolished. In 1787 the United States still condoned slavery however, the limitless opportunities that the U.S. Constitution granted, enabled the American people to abolish it in order to cultivate the social norms of society. Because this document still lives, we must simply abide by its principles. Many people have
The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloody Civil War, bring the former Confederate states back into the United States, and to reinstate the political, social, and economic legacies of slavery. During the era, Congress abolished slavery, ended the remnants of Confederate secession in the South, and passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution ostensibly guaranteeing the newly freed slaves the same civil rights as those of whites. Following a year of violent attacks against Blacks in the South, in 1866 Congress federalized the protection of civil
On this day in history January 31st, 1865 what is known as today the 13th Amendment was passed by congress. By being passed it was put into the United States Constitution, officially ended the institution of slavery. President Lincoln was successful for passing the law during the Civil War. Lincoln said “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 the jurisdiction.”
During the Reconstruction era, the economy was falling apart, but politics and political views were strong by 1877. The Reconstruction era was a period of time when the United States government began to change. It changed economically and politically, with the reconstruction era becoming a period of time when the United States government and its citizens were in turmoil. After the Civil War, everyone had to try and reconnect both the North and South to their former ways of life. This is when things got out of control for various individuals; there were countless questions and not diverse answers.
In many ways the Reconstruction era can be considered both a failure and a success. It was a successs due to the fact that it ended the separation between the North and South, and ended the South trying to separate themselves from the North. Although there were many positives and successes to the Reconstruction era, there were many negatives and associated with giving slaves their freedom. The economy of the plantations. The racist group, KKK, became more important in the South attacking both blacks and whites striving to gain equal rights for people of all color.
Angela Davis Once said “Well for one, The 13th Amendment to the constitution of the U.S. which abolished slavery, did not abolish slavery for those convicted of a crime.” Although the amendment was desperately needed it made more problems for the U.S.The thirteenth amendment was about abolishing slavery. Many people had different opinions about this amendment. The amendment affected our nation dramatically. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution says 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 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments became known as the Reconstruction Amendments. They followed the Civil War and attempted to guide the legal status of the African American population. The 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. It also gave power to Congress to enforce the amendment. The 14th Amendment established Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection.