A graphic of a female judge sitting at a desk with a gavel in her right hand.

This lesson has shown how Reconstruction brought social change for the country, particularly with the passage of the Civil War Amendments.  It also has shown that many gains made by African Americans were quickly rolled back. In this section, you will judge the success of the Civil War Amendments.

Read the amendments below to be reminded of each amendment’s purpose. Then, you will fill in two sentences in your notes. In the first sentence, indicate why you think the amendment was a success. In the second sentence, indicate why you think the amendment was not a success. Use evidence from the previous two sections to explain each one. Once you have finished writing your sentences, click on each for a possible answer.

13th Amendment

Purpose: Abolish Slavery

The 13th Amendment was a success because Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer slavery ended, and no matter how bad things got after Reconstruction, it would never come back.Close Pop Up

The 13th Amendment was not a success becauseInteractive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer even though slavery ended, life for many former slaves, especially sharecroppers, actually got worse, and they were still tied to the land.Close Pop Up

 

14th Amendment

Purpose: Citizenship to all Born in the United States and Equal Treatment Under the Law

The 14th amendment was a success because Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer African Americans had legal status as full American citizens and used that right to build family and church, gain an education, and pursue their own fortune with economic freedom.

The 14th amendment was not a success because, Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer after the rise of Jim Crow, African Americans were second class citizens, did not have the same rights as white Americans, and lived in fear of the KKK.Close Pop Up

 

15th Amendment

Purpose: Protect Voting Rights

The 15th Amendment was a success because Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer African Americans gained voting rights and, for a time, elected many of their own people to government office.Close Pop Up

The 15th Amendment was not a success because Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click for a possible answer that right, by the end of the 19th century, disappeared, and black citizens in the South could not vote.Close Pop Up

Final Perspective

People continue to debate the degree of change Reconstruction brought the country. Slavery may have ended, but the plight of African Americans in the South continued. Even when they traveled North, they found communities that were every bit as racist as in the South. However, even if the federal government stopped properly enforcing the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments after 1877, those amendments remained in the Constitution.