Define each of the Civil Rights amendments:
13th:
14th:
15th:
13th Amendment: abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime.
14th Amendment: granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and prohibited states from denying any person life, liberty, or property without due process of law or equal protection under the law.
15th Amendment: granted African American men the right to vote by prohibiting states from denying any citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Why/How were there Amendments "broken promises?"
The Civil Rights amendments were considered broken promises because, despite their passage, African Americans continued to face widespread discrimination and barriers to fully exercising their rights as citizens.
After the Civil War, southern states implemented Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation and restricted the voting rights of African Americans. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and violence were used to suppress African American voting rights, despite the 15th Amendment granting them the right to vote.
Additionally, the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause was often ignored, as African Americans were systematically denied access to quality education, housing, employment, and other opportunities based on their race.
Overall, the broken promises of the Civil Rights amendments highlighted the ongoing struggle for racial equality in the United States and the need for continued efforts to combat discrimination and ensure equal rights for all citizens.
one sentence each
13th Amendment: Although the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, systemic racism and discrimination persisted in the form of Black Codes, sharecropping, and convict leasing.
14th Amendment: Despite the protections afforded by the 14th Amendment, African Americans faced segregation, discrimination, and unequal treatment under the law throughout the Jim Crow era and beyond.
15th Amendment: The promise of the 15th Amendment was broken as African Americans were disenfranchised through poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation tactics, preventing them from fully exercising their right to vote.