...the Reconstruction Amendments, particularly the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment was one of three Amendments of the Reconstruction, along with the 14th Amendment, which was focused on citizenship and passed in 1868, and the 15th Amendment, which was focused on voting for African-Americans, and passed in 1870. The premises of the 13th Amendment was to abolish slavery. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery as a legal institution. But at first, the 13th Amendment had a different purpose. It was to guarantee the legality and perpetuity of slavery in the slave states, rather than to end it. This caused complicated sectional politics of the antebellum period, and a futile effort to preclude Civil War. Under presidential war powers, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Bill of Rights and Amendments The United States Constitution was recognized to Americans as a vague statement in clarifying the privileges and the rights of individuals and centralizing the power within the government itself. With the passing of the Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments, it grants the people to what is said to be their “natural rights” following additional rights that have significantly changed our society. Amendments and Constitution According to the Constitution, an amendment may be proposed and be presented, where it is put to a two thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The original article is then forwarded for processing and publication to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) (U.S. Constitution, 2011). The OFR maintains the document until it is either adopted or a failed amendment, then it is transferred for protection to the National Archives. Soon after a proposed amendment is ratified by three-fourths of the states, it becomes a part of the Constitution. (U.S. Constitution, 2011) Not all proposed amendments are accepted and must meet certain constitutional purpose to be passed, for example: after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and stating that “all men are created equal” the institutionalized system of servitude was a reason to pass to what is now the 13th Amendment of the Constitution and the abolition of slavery. This amendment provided that neither...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Salvatore Coco HIS/301 AUGUST 15, 2013 Christina Winn Bill of Rights and Amendments Although the Constitution was written primarily to define and represent the ideals and dreams of men for freedom of life; liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there were many imperfections because of the compromises required to get the document ratified by the states involved. Amendments to the Constitution were added to correct these deficiencies, including the Bill of Rights and the first 10 amendments. However, the Bill of Rights still did not adequately address the issues of slaves. Amendments 13, 14, and 15 were added in an attempt to fulfill the gaps left by the original 10. These amendments were also a precursor to future amendments addressing civil right issues during the Civil Rights movement. How and Why Amendments are added to the Constitution The Constitution was approved in 1788, including Article V stating how amendments would be added. Amendments were needed either as an improvement, a correction, or an addition. There are two ways to pass an amendment although only one has ever been used. The first method takes two-thirds of the house and Senate and three-fourths of the states to have a proposed amendment ratified. The second method, although never used requires a Constitutional Convention to be called by two-thirds of the House...
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...The movie Lincoln, directed by the worldly renowned director, Steven Spielberg, unravels the history that leads to the ratification of the 13th amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The secession of the South presented a perfect opportunity for an amendment of this stature to be passed, given the fact the abolition of slavery would potentially end the civil war being fought for slaves. Lincoln must struggles within his own power, as he could not pass an amendment with executive power; that power lied with the legislative (⅔) and the states (¾). Lincoln begins within his own party to try to get the votes after Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State's reminds him that he needs a unanimous vote of yes from the Republican Party before...
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...The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, basically known as the Civil War Amendments, were designed to ensure equality for recently emancipated slaves. The 13th Amendment banned slavery and all involuntary servitude, except in the case of punishment for a crime. The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution officially abolished slavery in America, and was ratified on December 6, 1865, after the conclusion of the American Civil War. The 13th Amendment was important because it created a constitutional amendment that banned slavery in all of the American states. The Emancipation Proclamation, although frequently credited for abolishing slavery in the United States, only declared slavery illegal in "rebelling" parts of America - so basically within the Confederacy. States fighting for the Union who had slavery systems (Maryland, West Virginia, East Tennessee) were not required to free their slaves. The passage of the 13th Amendment addressed this issue and formally outlawed slavery in the territorial us. In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and...
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...take a look at the Bill of Rights and the amendments. We will be reviewing how and why the amendments become part of the Constitution, what problems the original document motivated the adoption of the Bill of Rights, what are the effects of the Bill of Rights, what problems with the original document, or changes in society led to later amendments. All of these are very necessary and fun topics to address. Now let’s take a look. There are multiple ways for trying to add an amendment to the U.S Constitution, creating it into law. One way is to propose the amendment in the U.S. Congress who is the law-making body of the United States. Congress is composed of two houses, the House of Representative and the Senate. The amendment must be approved by at least two-thirds of both houses. If they then approve the amendment it is sent to the legislatures of each state of the union. Then all state legislatures must approve the amendment by three-fourths vote. After all is approved, the amendment then becomes law. If vote was not passed in any of the houses the amendment will fail to become law. An amendment is made to the constitution when it is necessary for change while still preserving what the constitution represents. The original document called for a stronger and centralized American government. Antifederalists believed this centralized government would be tyrannical. They believed that the state governments should keep all majority of the power because if not it could back fire on their...
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...Lincoln’s Actions Explained “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” There are many aspects about Abraham Lincoln that must be examined to have an informed state of mind and make reasonable judgements about Lincoln's actions to pass the 13th Amendment. I do not believe that Lincoln overstepped his boundaries, because he feared that the amendment would die and be forgotten if it were not put into action immediately. Although Lincoln might have used questionable tactics at times, he did what he had to do to get the job done and pass the amendment. As for the 15th Amendment, I believe it is a natural outcome of African americans becoming legal citizens I do not believe that he overstepped...
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...The Department of State preserved this document with other proclamations in a large volume for many years. The volume containing the Emancipation Proclamation was transmitted in 1936 to the National Archives of the United States from the departement of States². From a legal point of view , the Emancipation Proclamation was a brilliant move because the president is not favoured by the constitution or even give civil liberties to a specific people. Yet, the U.S. president has the right in wartime to defend his people and gives a total protection of the social securtiy of the country. The Emancipation Proclamation was not approved by the congress or even voted , Abraham Lincoln made it under his power as a commander in chief. This was similar...
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...The Supreme Court V. The 14th Amendment I. Introduction A. The Supreme court presided over three cases in the span of ten years that grossly affected the country. B. The 1873 ruling of the Slaughter House Cases, the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, and the 1896 case of Plessy V. Ferguson. II. Body A. The 1873 ruling of the Slaughter House Cases. 1. A Louisiana law of 1869 created a state corporation for the slaughtering of livestock. The corporation was given exclusive power to slaughter livestock, and all other private slaughterhouses were required to close. Independent butchers could use the corporation’s facilities for a charge, but could not conduct independent operations. 2. The butchers not included in the monopoly claimed that the law deprived them of their right to "exercise their trade" and challenged it under the 13th and 14th amendments. The highest state court sustained the law. 3. The states have the proper police power to limit slaughter house operations for the health and safety of their residents. The meaning of the 13th and 14th amendments must be derived from the historical context of the problems they were designed to remedy, namely African slavery. The Congress, after the end of the Civil War, sought to strengthen the freedom of the former slaves by passing these amendments. 4. Specifically, they only were meant to guarantee federal privileges, not state privileges, whatever they may be. The "privileges and immunities" clause did not...
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...constitutional or not. It set a more specific path for Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President. Therefore by checking and directing their powers, it created a better balance for all three branches of government. Okay, Marshall at first said that the Judiciary Act was unconstitutional since the power for Congress to pass that act was NOT stated in the Constitution, BUT Marshall agreed that the Supreme Court does have the power to decide the constitutionality of a law even if it is not stated in the Constitution. YES, because by having a higher power decide the decision, it directly puts all the branches of government in its place. With a clear set of rules...
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...The reconstruction of the 13th and 14th and 15th amendments White people did not want blacks to stand up and participate in political or any kind of issues or freedom or become educated 1. When the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, and the black people embraced education, built their own churches, reunited with their broken families and worked very hard in the sharecropping system, nothing was enough for the Reconstruction to succeed. 2. Whites never gave total freedom to African Americans. Blacks were forced to endure curfews, passes, and living on rented land, which put them in a similar situation as slaves. In 1866, the KKK started a wave of violence and abuse against 3. Negroes in the south, destroying their properties, assaulting and killing them in different ways, just because anger white people do not want the blacks to stand up and join in political or any kind of issues or freedom. The Reconstruction Amendment freed African American from slavery and stablish some key rights for them. 13th Amendment 1. Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaration. all people that were...
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...Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, however racial discrimination and prejudice against black people was still a prevalent issue. Even after the civil war and the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment, states still continued to implement laws that inhibited equal opportunities for African Americans along with other social injustices blacks faced from other people due to the racist mentality of the time. Homer Plessy, a resident of Louisiana, decided he was going to stand up for his rights by defying these laws to bring forth the idea that states legislatures do not abide by the constitution and the 13th,14th, and 15th amendment in these newly developed laws to demonstrate the inequalities African Americans still faced....
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...accommodations for the white and colored races” on its railroads. Plessy brought before Judge John H. Ferguson of criminal court for New Orleans, who upheld the law. The law later challenged by the Supreme Court on the grounds that it conflicted within the thirteenth and fourteenth amendment. The court later said that the law did not conflict with the Thirteenth amendment. The Court avoided discussion of the protection granted by the clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that forbids the states to make laws depriving citizens of their “privileges or...
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...The Civil Rights Amendment are very important to the U.S citizens.The three main goals were to give citizenship,equal rights, and to abolish slavery.The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments in the Constitution which are civil and protection to the former slaves. It has made African American lives better. The emancipation proclamation gave a moral Cause to the Civil War. Lincoln worried that it would not be relevant post-Civil War. Republicans wanted to gain power in the south post-Civil War. Natural republicans needed to punish old Confederate leaders. The 13th amendment said neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been convicted shell exist within the united states or any place subject to their jurisdiction....
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...Adolph Plessy Respondent: John Ferguson Facts: This case dealt with the “separate but equal” doctrine and racial segregation. African-American Homer Plessy refused to sit in the “blacks only” train car. His decision to remain seated in the “white section” of the train led to him being charged with “violating the Separate Car Act. This Act was established in 1890, with the intention that all railroads had to provide “equal but separate accommodations” for white and black passengers. Plessy argued that his arrest violated the 13th amendment (prohibits slavery) as well as the 14th amendment (equal rights to all citizens) Questions: Is Louisiana’s law mandating racial segregation on the trains an unconstitutional infringement on the privileges and immunities as well as equal protection clause of the 14th amendment? Is Louisiana’s law mandating racial segregation on trains an unconstitutional infringement on the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment?...
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