...In 1865, the United States of America would change forever. During this year Congress passed the 13th Amendment. This amendment completely abolished slavery in the United States. It also gave Congress the ability to create laws against things that were very similar to slavery. One of these things was peonage. This amendment was one of the biggest laws that would lead to equal rights between African Americans and whites. When speaking about the 13th Amendment we have to take a look back into why it was done. During the 1800s slavery was extremely prominent in the South. Many southerners owned slaves. Some of them owned as few as 5 slaves, while others had over 50 slaves working. Racism was very prominent throughout the United States but especially...
Words: 678 - Pages: 3
...of this country, and it was legal and accepted until Abraham Lincoln announced the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery. In 2018, “Modern slavery has no legal definition but includes human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage and forced marriage”(Rossman). People are debating on whether or not the Thirteenth Amendment is still effective today. When analyzing the research of the Thirteenth Amendment one can determine why it was put into the Bill of Rights, the purpose of the amendment, and that the Thirteenth Amendment is definitely not effective in today’s America....
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...changed it’s called and amendment. Among the amendments are the bill of rights and the reconstruction amendments. In this paper I will discuss how and why amendments become part of the constitution, what were some problems with the original document that motivated the adoption of the bill of rights, the effects of the bill of rights and the reconstruction amendments and their effects. How and why do amendments become part of the constitution? When the constitution was written, the Framers knew that the constitution would and could be amended. Article V of the constitution tells how an amendment can become a part of the constitution. It takes two steps to add an amendment to the constitution. The first step is the proposal. An amendment can be proposed by either two-thirds vote in congress, which includes both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The second step is ratification; the amendment has to be ratified by wither three-fourths of the state legislatures or by state conventions in three-fourths of the states. An amendment can only be ratified after two-thirds of the House and Senate approve of the proposal and send it to the states for a vote and then three-fourths of the states must affirm the proposed amendment. Congress has set a term of seven years for ratification. The second way would require a constitutional convention to be called by two-thirds of the legislatures of the states. The convention can then propose as many amendments as it sees fit. Those...
Words: 1409 - Pages: 6
...Since then, I’ve read the 13th Amendment at least five times. I’ve been trying to comprehend how did this vain- worded sentence with forty-six words abolished slavery...?!Whether they fully planned how this amendment could one day be violated I’m not sure, but surely “for those convicted of a crime” wasn’t unintentionally just put there for any reason. It seems that the mass incarceration and the creating of a labor workforce was thought and established long before people knew what it truly meant. In my opinion the 13th Amendment was a claimed law written by those who seemed to “care” about social equality yet failed to boldly protect the rights of African- American...
Words: 1439 - Pages: 6
...of the southern population must take an oath of loyalty to be able to be represented in Congress? Why did you choose that number? Fifty percent of the state’s voters in the presidential election should take an oath of allegiance to the United States and should be pledged to bide by emancipation. The state government would be within the state and then the state would be re-admitted into the Union. That way fifty percent of voters would have a say so and an opinion. 2. Should the 13th Amendment be acknowledged and should civil rights be guaranteed by all state constitutions? Why or why not? Yes, I think the 13th Amendment should be acknowledged because slavery should be banned and slaves should have all the freedoms that...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Americans newly found freedom. To Plessy it seemed as if even though the Declaration of Independence had affirmed that “all men are created equal,” Americans didn’t see it that way. There was still prejudice in America and so black’s were forced to sit separately from whites or drink from different fountains. Little pointless details were made into a big deal. Plessy being ⅛ black, but still looking like an American, was never told to move to use the colored facilities until one day he was asked if he was part African American, and Plessy admitted to it. However, that didn’t stop Plessy from sitting at the front of the railcar, and because of his refusal he was arrested and brought to the United States Supreme Court, claiming the fourteenth amendment. Custom, Precedent, and Federalism the three systems of ruling were embodied into the discussion and the outcome of the case. Each...
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...and events that finally led to the complete freedom and equality for African Americans. I believe that the most significant events that led to a final resolution were the Amendments and Civil Rights Acts passed and signed by our government. Although, it was hard for proper implementation of the laws at first, I believe that they were all extremely important building blocks for the movement to finally get to where it is today. The first event that started the Civil Rights Movement was the abolishment of slavery. Ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment did just this, it restricted state power federally and outlawed involuntary servitude. What this meant is that nationwide, it was illegal to claim ownership over another person. “Although its full effect was not achieved for nearly a century, it began the process of dismantling involuntary servitude as a widespread form of labor relations” (Rutherglen, 2012). With that being said, this was the first real law of its kind, so its implementation was crudely regulated. Yes, slaves were free to now go about and live as they see fit, however, even with freedom they could not regulate their own lives, there were still no laws stating that they had to be treated fairly without prejudice. This became a big problem for African Americans because the 13th Amendment gave them a promise of freedom, yet they were still having to involuntarily submit themselves to the white man. Even though they now had their “freedom” they still could...
Words: 2250 - Pages: 9
...Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He changed America in many different ways. He ended slavery by expressing his opinion and standing out for it. With being a Commander in Chief in the Civil War, he performed outstanding achievements. Unfortunately, America lost him too soon because he was assassinated at the age of 56. A fact is that Lincoln was such an significant person from our past, he is on our penny for US currency. One way he changed history was when he signed the 13th Amendment to the constitution. On January 31, 1865, Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment of the Constitution. This law ended slavery and was passed during the Civil War. The Senate agreed with this law, but the House did not. This is where he started to stand out because they did not approve of the law. So he used his knowledge on what he knew about politics, and convinced them to agree with him....
Words: 766 - Pages: 4
...Throughout the 19th and 20th century, African Americans have been fighting for basic rights, equality, and abolishing slavery. This is all the same movement, from Dred Scott, to the Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on Washington. The basic idea was to achieve equality. And African Americans never stopped doing that. When Dred Scott brought his case to court, he started a fire. A fire that grew and grew, until a whole movement was created. And that movement was never stopped, until African Americans were given equal rights as whites were. The Civil Rights Movement, and the abolitionist movement, are just parts of a larger fight, the equality movement. For many African-Americans, Brown vs. Board of Education was a very important case. It was a...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...POS – 301 November 2, 2014 Professor Biddle My Rights and Freedoms As a citizen of the United States I do not appreciate the freedom and rights given. I have not thought about how fortunate I am to live in a country that allows freedom of speech, freedom of expression, or my favorite, freedom of religion. Throughout this assignment I will explain which freedom in the first amendment relates to me the most, discuss why the Bill of rights are important, and discuss the process for amending the Constitution. The freedom in the first amendment of the constitution relates to me the most would be Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion states that as an American I can practice ANY religion I want or I do not have to practice any religion at all. The reason freedom of religion relates to me most is because I am a strong believer in the idiom “to each his own”. I do not care if my friend is Jewish, Hindu, Christian, the list goes on. I think expressing one’s self is extremely important and religion is one of those ways. To me, what a person’s religion is does not determine if they are a good person or not. There are people that consider themselves “Jewish” or “Christian” but yet they are extremely mean and do not care about others. Freedom of religion allows for every single citizen of the United States to have a sense of freedom. We do not feel obligated to have a certain type of religion, which is better! The reason I say this is because if we are not forced to follow...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...Consequences of Accounting During the 2008 Financial Crisis Group 3 October 4th, 2011 Actors in the 2008 Financial Crisis U.S. Government European Union o Commission o Political figureheads Banks o U.S. o E.U. International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Investors and External Regulators 10/3/11 2 Actors in the 2008 Financial Crisis (US Government) o Generally mentioned indirectly in the news articles o Not in the forefront of the case, as banks were driving policy o Presumably, wanted to allow U.S. banks to appear and remain competitive In the case of the financial crisis, being competitive meant not showing large losses on financial reports. Therefore, some leniency in accounting (e.g., use of Fair Value Accounting “FVA”) was allowed. Specific mechanism: move an asset from balance sheet (where assets must be valued at market price) to bank book until “maturity” of the assets 10/3/11 3 Actors in the 2008 Financial Crisis ( European Union „Commission & Figureheads“ ) European Commission o Reluctant to change accounting rules o Technical advisory International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) did not see FVA as a legitimate accounting technique o Agreed to FVA only under political pressure E.U. Figureheads (i.e., heads of state) o Initially, wanted to rely on advice of IASB o After the collapse of AIG and increasing use of FVA by banks in U.S., the EU figureheads had to allow banks in E.U. to have the same tool for their...
Words: 1628 - Pages: 7
...equal rights, later becoming the 19th Amendment. Although there have been many important events in U.S. history since 1900, the 19th Amendment must be kept in the new U.S. history textbook because politically, it gave women the ability to have...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...By Angel M The new film Lincoln, showcasing the important events of the last four months of Abraham Lincoln’s, life leading up to his death in April of 18**. Based in January , with a historical drama background directed by Steven Spielberg, it doesn’t fall short compared to any of his other films he’s done in the past. The movie is centered around Abraham Lincoln, played by Daniel Day Lewis, trying to get the 13th amendment passed by congress in 1865. It shows the difficulties and struggles Lincoln faced at the time, and how his family and supporters stayed behind him. The film starts off with the bloody Civil War playing out, North and South at war. Minutes later we are then taken to a part where we see two Black soldiers having a conversation with Lincoln stating how they wish all men were equal and would love to see a black man as colonel in the army. At the time slavery was still being practiced and many blacks experienced harsh treatment from whites, whether it was pertaining to laws or how they were treated on a daily basis. From that point and onwards the movie basically gets into Lincoln working on the amendment and dealing with his fellow cabinet members. Early on in the story there does seem to be tidbits showing that Mary Sturatt, Lincoln’s wife, did have emotional problems. From the constant crying to commanding Lincoln to kill her. Thus explains why some accused Mary to be part of his assignation, some even claimed she had insanity. Then again she lost...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...desirable parts of the fort. This meant that not only was the Fort not as defendable as it should have been, but it was also low on supplies. Since this was a surprise relocation by Major Anderson, who moved his troops without permission from his three Commanding Officers. Major Anderson selected only those who he trusted with the information about the relocation. Compared to confederate Brig. Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, who had many more men, along with more than enough ammunition and rations for his troops. Mary Boykin Chesnut who was a resident in Charlestown, South Carolina reasoned why Fort Sumter was attacked: because it was “the key to controlling Charleston, South Carolinas harbor” (Colbert 236). This tells us that people in Charlestown were well aware of the importance of Fort Sumter, specifically the writer (Mary Boykin Chesnut). They knew exactly what the Southerners knew: Fort Sumter is important. Whoever was in control of the Fort, had the ability to decide who was allowed to enter and exit the harbor. While this may not seem like such a large deal, those in control of the fort had the ability to decide the outcome of a battle. Food, ammunition, and a resupply of troops were just a few of the necessities that could be blockaded by those in control. This would slowly but surely weaken the enemy, effectively winning the war without having to fire a single shot. When the Confederates began the bombardment of Fort Sumter, they began an uphill battle against a larger, better...
Words: 1752 - Pages: 8
...fund our schools adequately. Teachers teach with not enough books, no supplies, or books that are often over 20 years old. How can we expect our children to be up to date with the world’s information if our teaching materials are not new? Often teachers in our public schools are forced to buy text books and supplies for our children with their own personal money. Why do they do this? Because they believe in a good education for all learners. Our country "prides" itself on the quality of education a person can receive here, yet teachers are one of the countries lowest paid professionals. If I were president, I would also make sure that everyone in this country was treated equally and fairly. The 13th Amendment to the constitution did abolish slavery, and the 14th Amendment was passed to counter the black codes, but in reality, discrimination still occurs in every aspect today in America. Discrimination is not just a black and white issue, it also has to do with age, gender, equal housing, religion, national origin, and credit, to name a few. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to reinstate what the amendments tried to do early in history, but there is still much to be done. Companies need to be regulated better, and stricter rules need to be enforced and fined if necessary. Every...
Words: 486 - Pages: 2
