the reconstruction amendments - deltona high...

TheReconstructionAmendments

13th 14th 15thAmendment Amendment Amendment

Analyzing the text of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, how they changed the country, and their impact on civil rights.

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Instructions:

1.) Break students into groups of three and distribute the three amendment papers and the amendment worksheet (front/back).

Do not pass out the cartoon OR “the reconstruction amendments and their effects” paper yet. We will use these at the end of class to confirm each

student’s prediction.

2.) Put each student in charge of an amendment. If would be wise to

“number off” students so that “1’s” are in charge of amendment 13, “2’s” in charge of 14, and so on. Give students 10 minutes to work on their own to dissect their amendment. Have students compete the corresponding section

of their worksheet.

You may only want students to put text in their words first. Then, the group can brainstorm how the South would respond to keep their way of

life in tact.

3.) Once students have read through their amendments, have groups discuss their findings and record their responses in the “in your words”

section.

4.) Have students discuss the second column of their worksheet now. It is important to stress how the southern way of life was changing.

Southerners did not take kindly to these amendments. In fact, they took great lengths to keep their way of life in tact. Have students pose the

question to themselves, “What might the South DO to keep their way of life in tact?” Give students 10-15 minutes to discuss this section and record

their responses.

5.) Now, have students respond to the first prompt on the back based on their understanding of the Reconstruction Amendments. Discuss as a class.

6.) Lastly, pass out the last two papers, the cartoon and the “effects” paper. Have students answer the final prompt after examining both

documents!© Mr. Educator, 2013

Amendment XIII

“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.”

© Mr. Educator, 2013

© Mr. Educator, 2013© Mr. Educator, 2013

Amendment XIV“All persons born 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.”




Amendment XV“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.

The Congress shall have power to

enforce this article by appropriate

legislation.”



Name(s): _______________________________________________________________ Period ______

Amendment

XIII

Amendment

XIV

Amendment

XV

In your words: To keep their way of life intact, how might the SOUTH respond. (List at least 2 ways)

In your words:

In your words:

To keep their way of life intact, how might the SOUTH respond. (List at least 2 ways)

To keep their way of life intact, how might the SOUTH respond. (List at least 2 ways)

Directions: Read the copies of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that have been provided. For each amendment, rewrite it in your own words. Then, think about the amendment from the perspective of a southerner. These amendments represent major changes to your way of life. So, to keep your way of life intact, what might you do to defy these amendments? How might you respond to keep these changes from happening?




The time period known as “Reconstruction” lasted from 1865 until 1877. Reconstruction brought many political, economic, and social changes to the United States, both for whites and blacks. How might the three “Reconstruction Amendments” contribute to the changes that whites and blacks would experience?

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Despite the good intentions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, how effective were they in achieving equality for African-Americans in the South?

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Do not complete this last question UNTIL you have been instructed to do so...



The Reconstruction Amendments & Their Effects:

The 13th Amendment:

“Slavery is abolished in the United States”

The 14th Amendment:

“African-Americans are granted citizenship and equal

protection under the law.”

The 15th Amendment:

“African-Americans are given the right to vote.”

TheEFFECT

TheEFFECT

TheEFFECT

Did the 13th amendment really end slavery? Well, it depends on how you

look at it. The 13th amendment did end the system of forced labor that existed prior to the Civil War, however African-‐

Americans were turned free with nothing. What do you think will happen to these former slaves, the majority of which

cannot read or write? LiFle was done by the naGonal or state governments to address the fact that these freedmen were turned free with nothing from which to improve their lives upon.

So, these former slaves returned to the only way of life that they could do -‐ plantaGon labor. However, now they were called “sharecroppers” instead of slaves. They were given small plots of land by their former masters to live and work on. These sharecroppers were required to pay rent, but they had no money and were not paid for their

services. They “paid” rent by forfeiGng about 70-‐80% of the crops they produced.

You decide -‐ what was the real impact of the 13th amendment?

Did the 14th amendment really guarantee equal ciGzenship and protecGon under

the law? Well, I’ll let you decide.

To keep and maintain their way of life, most southern states enacted a series of racist laws that sought to keep blacks inferior to whites. These laws were

known as the Black Codes. These “codes” stripped civil liberGes from the freedman.

A few of the common codes among southern states are:

-‐ A black person was not allowed to marry a white person

-‐ A black person could not vote

-‐ A black person could be whipped, imprisoned, or fined for not having a job (since blacks were essenGally forced back on the plantaGon, this created a stable labor

supply for former slave owners)

-‐ A black person was banned from living in a variety of communiGes

Yes, African-‐Americans were given the right to vote, however there were some major

problems with this.

First, many states in the South established “poll taxes.” This meant one had to pay a tax in order to use the poll to vote. Since most blacks were sharecroppers, they had

no money to pay this “tax.” Second, southern states also created literary tests -‐ one had to read a passage (o\en of the ConsGtuGon) and explain what it meant! Do you think the freedman, who could not read nor write, had a chance of passing this test? Even though African-‐Americans could

vote, most were unable to.

To make maFers worse, many former Confederate soldiers sought to inGmidate, terrorize, and murder any African-‐American who tried to vote. They also targeted any white person who helped a freedman vote.

These former soldiers created what is arguably America’s first terrorist group -‐

the Ku Klux Klan. Even if a freedmen could afford the tax and could read and write, it was likely they refused to vote in order to

keep themselves out of danger.


Examine the reality of the 14th and 15th amendments below...


the reconstruction amendments - deltona high...

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