The 13th, 14th, and

15th AmendmentsThe 13th, 14th, and

15th AmendmentsA look at the Reconstruction

Amendments! A look at the Reconstruction

Amendments!

Reconstruction

After the Civil War the South was hurt really badly. Many cities, farms, and businesses were destroyed by the war!

Reconstruction Images

Reconstruction

Slaves were now free because of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

AmendmentsThe United States Government in Washington D.C. decided to help the South and make some changes that would help the freed slaves and make America a better place to live.

They passed three important Amendments.

QUICK....

What is an AMENDMENT!?

Amendment

A change to the Constitution!

13th Amendment

What

Does

This

Mean?

13th Amendment

The 13th Amendment declared that slavery would not be allowed to exist in the United States.

It made slavery illegal!

14th AmendmentThe 14th Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans!

A person’s race could not be a reason to deny them citizenship.

14th AmendmentThe 14th Amendment declared that states could not limit the rights of citizens.

States could not take away life, liberty(freedom), or property without due process of the law.

Due ProcessWhat does it mean by due process in the 14th Amendment?

Due Process means that the Government must follow the Constitution and all of the Bill of Rights in it before it can take away anything from you.

Due Process

In other words, the government must give a person a fair and fast trial before they can take away a person’s rights!

15th Amendment

What does this mean?

15th Amendment

The 15th Amendment gave all men the right to vote, no matter what their skin color was or if they had been enslaved.

15th Amendment

What about

women?

13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

13th Amendment - It made slavery unconstitutional and illegal!

14th Amendment - It stated that states could not take away the rights of citizens without due process of the law.

15th Amendment - It allowed all men to vote, no matter their skin color.

Amendment Fever!Directions - You and your group must work together. Your goal is to guess the correct Amendment that is being violated or broken. Each team’s recorder will keep track of their team’s points. The team with the most points, will get a prize next class!!

#1Jim lives in the South after the Civil War. As he is trying to leave the plantation where he used to be a slave, his plantation owner Mr. Johnson stops him and says, “I paid for you, you are my slave, you must stay!”

What Amendment is Mr. Johnson breaking?

ANSWER!

13th

Mr. Johnson can not tell anyone to be a slave! Slavery became unconstitutional with the 13th Amendment

#2A old old man named Larry wobbles up to the voting booth. Sarah, the person that works at the voting place says, “Go away old man, you can’t vote here!”What Amendment is Sarah breaking?

ANSWER

15th Amendment According to the 15th Amendment, all men have the right to vote no matter what race they are.

#3It is 1865, and the Sheriff in a small town arrests Steve, a former slave, for stealing food from the market. The Sheriff throws him jail and never gives him a trial.

What Amendment is the Sheriff breaking?

ANSWER

The 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment says you must have due process (which includes a trial) before they can take anything away such as your liberty (freedom).

#4A man decides that he needs people to work at a factory, but he can’t pay them. He decides to force his employees to work without paying them a single dollar.

What amendment is the man breaking?

ANSWER

The 13th Amendment - The man cannot force people to work for free!

#5John came home from work one afternoon and noticed that all of his property was gone. He saw a note and it said, “We have taken your property because you owe us money. Thanks, U.S. Government.” He had nobody to contact to get the stuff back.

What Amendment did the Government break?

ANSWERThe 14th Amendment - Nobody is allowed to take your property without due process. This means that if the government wants to do something, you have the right to go to court. It is up to the Government to prove their case, not for you to prove your innocence of a crime.

Conclusion13th Amendment - Ended Slavery

14th Amendment - Due Process

Due Process - the government must respect all of your legal rights not just some.

15th Amendment - All men can vote