Civil War Amendments free essay sample

For four long years, a war raged on, a war being fought for the freedom of slaves. These men and women were held in bondage and seen as property by their owners. Brothers fought against brothers, to preserve the union, but also for the rights of African- Americans held in slavery. The wars end brought a victory for the Union and freedom for the slaves. With Lincolns influence, constitutional amendments were ratified that provided the newly freed slaves with the right to vote and US citizenship. These amendments will provide a foundation for all civil rights for all Americans in years to come. The thirteenth amendment was ratified on December 6, 1863. This amendment abolished slavery and forbade forced labor, except as punishment for a crime. (Doc 2) Before the Civil War, men and women were victims of tyranny and were held against their will under the command of their owners. After the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War, President Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation. We will write a custom essay sample on Civil War Amendments or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He stated that any slaves in the states that were in rebellion against the Union, were eclared free. Doc 1) When the thirteenth amendment was passed, it was official that all men, women, and children held in slavery were declared free people in the country. Today, slavery does not exist in the United States, and never will in the future because of this amendment. The fourteenth amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868. This amendment guaranteed equal treatment and citizenship for all people in the country. (Doc 3) In 1857, years before the Civil War, Dred Scott took his case to win his freedom to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that slaves, such as Scott imself, who escaped to free states must return to their masters. Doc 5) African- Americans were viewed as property in the white mans eyes, They were sold and treated like livestock, but they had no choice for any other kind of treatment. These people were bound to the laws of slavery, until the Emancipation Proclamation and the thirteenth amendment were put into action. Afterwards, these free men and women were still being discriminated against because of their past, skin color, ethnicity, and beliefs. They also were not considered citizens of the country. So, the ourteenth amendment granted them their citizenship into the nation. Today, all people are given an equal chance and opportunity. Men and women of different races make up the Supreme Court, enforcing the rules and laws of the country. (Doc 8) The fifteenth amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870 and granted the right to vote to all men, regardless of race. (Doc 4) Only white men were given the power and right to vote before the Civil War and slaves did not have any such rights. When the war was over and the freed slaves were now citizens, this amendment allowed them o be heard, not as blacks or slaves, but true Americans. Today, not only all men are allowed to vote, but all women are also allowed to vote due to the passing of the fifteenth amendment and the nineteenth amendment. The fifteenth amendment was one of the many bases of the foundation of modern civil rights and treatment of people in the country because it allowed them to have a voice in the democracy of the United States. These three amendments gave the rights of American citizens to all treed slaves, but they were not always seen as tree, tunctional individuals in ociety. Many Americans, such as the Ku Klux Klan, had hatred towards these people of a different ethnicity and did not treat them as equal to them. (Doc 5) Today, most everyone is treated as equal to each other and that is all due to Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. With Lincolns influence, these constitutional amendments were ratified that provided the newly freed slaves with the right to vote and US citizenship. These amendments will provide a foundation for all civil rights for all Americans in years to come.