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Article 1: Reconstruction Amendments
Transcript of 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
AMENDMENT XIIII
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, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.
Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.
Excerpt from Transcript of 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868)
AMENDMENT XIV
Section 1.
All persons bor or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty,or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Transcript of 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights (1870)
Fortieth Congress of the United States of America; At the third Session, Begun and held at the city of Washington, on Monday, the seventh day of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight. A Resolution Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, (two-thirds of both Houses concurring) that the following article be proposed to the legislature of the several States as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which, when ratified by three-fourths of said legislatures shall be valid as part of the Constitution, namely:
Article XV.
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Article 2: Political Cartoon, about the "The Union As It Was" by Thomas Nast, 1874
In his 1874 cartoon titled, "The Union as It Was," Thomas Nast depicts a member of the Ku Klux Klan and a member of the White League shaking hands atop a skull and crossbones that rests above an African-American woman and man huddled over their dead child as a school house burns and an African American is lynched in the background.
By 1874, three amendments from article 1 had been added to the U.S. Constitution and Congress had passed numerous Reconstruction and civil rights acts for the benefit of former slaves.
#1 In two sentences, State your thesis.
#2 in one sentence, Consider the claims supported within text.
# 3 find quoted evidence from at least two of the provided articles and include an explanation of the specific claims from each to support your answer.
#4 Include quoted evidence from the articles that opposes your position in your rebuttal,
#5 in one sentence, Use persuasive elements such as word choice to strengthen the ideas that you express to make your argument and rebuttal.
Thesis: The Reconstruction Amendments played a crucial role in abolishing slavery, protecting civil rights, and granting voting rights to African Americans in the United States.
Claims supported within the text: The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The 14th Amendment established citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all persons. The 15th Amendment ensured the right to vote for citizens regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Evidence from Article 1 (13th Amendment): "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... Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
Explanation: This quote from the 13th Amendment clearly states that slavery and involuntary servitude were abolished, except as a punishment for a crime. It also emphasizes that Congress has the power to enforce this amendment.
Evidence from Article 1 (14th Amendment): "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States... No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens...nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Explanation: This excerpt from the 14th Amendment emphasizes that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens and should be protected under the law. It specifically prohibits any state from making or enforcing laws that deny equal protection to any person within its jurisdiction.
Rebuttal evidence: None of the quoted evidence from the articles opposes the position.
Persuasive elements: The use of strong and clear language in the claims and evidence, such as "abolishing slavery," "protecting civil rights," and "granting voting rights," strengthens the argument by clearly conveying the significance and positive impact of the Reconstruction Amendments. The absence of opposing evidence further reinforces the argument.