Reconstruction Amendments

Examples of Reconstruction Amendments in the following topics:

• Legally Free, Socially Bound

  • Though the Reconstruction Amendments guaranteed them equal rights, African-Americans experienced widespread discrimination after the War.
  • Together these amendments were known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
  • After the end of Reconstruction in 1877, African-American Southerners fared less well.
  • While legally the Reconstruction Amendments had granted African Americans certain legal rights, in social practice they remained second-class citizens and were subject to discrimination and violence.
  • Hayes withdrew Union troops from the South in 1877, white Democratic southerners acted quickly to reverse the groundbreaking advances of Reconstruction.

• The Reconstruction Amendments

  • They were termed the "Reconstruction Amendments" and were spearheaded by the Radical Republicans in Congress.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment, adopted on July 9, 1868, was the second of three Reconstruction Amendments.
  • The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S.
  • It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.

• Johnson's Battle with Congress

  • The Radical Reconstruction era was a period when the Radical Republicans held control of Congress and directed Reconstruction efforts.
  • Johnson ignored this, and openly encouraged southern states to refuse the ratification of the 14th Amendment.
  • The Reconstruction Amendments, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments, were adopted between 1865 and 1870.
  • The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, was ratified in 1865.
  • Following Reconstruction, many blacks became active in voting and political life.

• Conclusion: The Effects of Reconstruction

  • The interpretation of Reconstruction has been a topic of controversy.
  • Nearly all historians hold that Reconstruction ended in failure but for different reasons.
  • The following list describes some schools of thought regarding Reconstruction:
  • The "Reconstruction Amendments" passed by Congress between 1865 and 1870 abolished slavery, gave black Americans equal protection under the law, and granted suffrage to black men.
  • Reconstruction was never forgotten among the black community and remained a source of inspiration.

• Reconstruction in the South

  • Reconstruction from 1865-1877 was characterized by the conflicting views of President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction policy.
  • Grant supported Radical Reconstruction, using both the U.S.
  • Johnson ignored the policy mandate, and he openly encouraged Southern states to deny ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • Three Constitutional amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.

• The Triumph of Congressional Reconstruction

  • Radical Reconstruction was a period of the Reconstruction Era during which the Radical Republicans held control of Reconstruction policies.
  • Radical Reconstruction was a period following the Civil War during which radical Republicans controlled Reconstruction policies, though they often clashed with President Johnson over pieces of legislation.
  • In particular, Johnson encouraged southern states to refuse to ratify the 14th Amendment.
  • The "Reconstruction Amendments" (13th, 14th, and 15th) were adopted in the period from 1865-1870.
  • The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.

• Incorporation Doctrine

  • Some argue that the intention of the creator of the Fourteenth Amendment was to overturn this precedent.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.
  • All of the provisions of Amendment I and Amendment II have been incorporated against the state, while the Third Amendment has not yet been incorporated (the Third Amendment refers to the prohibition on quartering of soldiers in civilian homes).
  • Amendment V, the right to due process, has been incorporated against the states.
  • The Fourteenth Amendment, depicted here, allowed for the incorporation of the First Amendment against the states.

• Lincoln's Plan and Congress's Response

  • Lincoln's plan successfully began the Reconstruction process of ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment in all states.
  • The Radical Republican vision for Reconstruction, also called "Radical Reconstruction," was further bolstered in the 1866 election, when more Republicans took office in Congress.
  • During this era, Congress passed three important Reconstruction amendments.
  • The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified in 1865.
  • Congress also passed the Reconstruction Acts.

• The Battle over Reconstruction

  • 'Reconstruction' was a set of federal policies that addressed the status of the former Confederate states after the Civil War.
  • Reconstruction policies were implemented when the Union Army controlled Confederate states.
  • They also tried to pass the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States and required the states to respect the rights of all U.S. citizens.
  • The military commander in charge of each district was to ensure that the state fulfilled the requirements of Reconstruction by ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment and by providing voting rights without a race qualification.
  • Tennessee was not included in the districts because it had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment in 1866 and was quickly readmitted to the Union.

• The 15th Amendment

  • The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's race.
  • There was an impressive surge in political participation after the Civil War, due largely to the Reconstruction acts.
  • The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (for example, slavery).
  • "The Fifteenth Amendment", an 1870 print celebrating the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in February 1870, and the advancements that African-Americans had made as a result of the Civil War.
  • State the group of citizens extended protection by the 15th Amendment