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This lesson focuses on the period after the Civil War and the legal changes made to define citizenship.
Imagine winning your freedom after a lifetime of labor, only to realize you have no home, no money, and no laws to protect you. How would you start a new life in a country that was still healing from its deadliest war?
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States had to change its Constitution to reflect a new reality without slavery. Three key changes, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were passed. The 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery in the U.S. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people, and guaranteed 'equal protection under the laws.' Finally, the 15th Amendment protected the right to vote regardless of 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.' Together, these were intended to transform the U.S. into a true biracial democracy.
Quick Check
Which amendment specifically guaranteed that citizenship could not be denied based on where a person was born in the U.S.?
Answer
The 14th Amendment.
To help the formerly enslaved people transition to freedom, Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau. This was the first major federal relief agency in U.S. history. Its goals were ambitious: providing food and medical care, establishing schools (over were built), and helping people find jobs or negotiate labor contracts. While the Bureau faced heavy opposition from Southern whites and was underfunded, it played a critical role in increasing literacy rates and reuniting families that had been separated by the domestic slave trade.
1. In , it was illegal in many Southern states to teach enslaved people to read. 2. By , the Freedmen's Bureau helped establish schools like Howard University. 3. Within five years, literacy rates among African Americans began to rise significantly, allowing them to read labor contracts and participate in government.
Quick Check
What was the primary purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?
Answer
To provide food, medical care, and education to formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South.
Reconstruction was not a smooth process. The South's economy was in ruins; its currency was worthless, and its infrastructure was destroyed. Many Southern states passed Black Codes, which were local laws designed to restrict the freedom of African Americans and compel them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt. Furthermore, a system called sharecropping emerged. In this system, a farmer tended a portion of a planter's land in exchange for a share of the crop. Because of high interest rates and the cost of supplies, most sharecroppers fell into a cycle of permanent debt.
Imagine a farmer harvests units of cotton: 1. The landowner takes units as rent. 2. The farmer owes the local store units for seeds and tools bought on credit. 3. Result: . The farmer starts the next year units in debt, making it nearly impossible to leave the land.
Despite the 15th Amendment, Southern states used 'literacy tests' and 'poll taxes' to prevent Black men from voting. 1. A literacy test required a voter to interpret a complex section of the Constitution. 2. If the voter failed (or the registrar claimed they failed), they couldn't vote. 3. This shows how local laws (Black Codes/Jim Crow) were used to bypass federal Constitutional amendments.
Which amendment officially ended slavery throughout the entire United States?
What was a major achievement of the Freedmen's Bureau?
Sharecropping usually allowed formerly enslaved people to become wealthy landowners quickly.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to list the three Reconstruction Amendments and the 'shorthand' for what each one did (Free, Citizens, Vote).
Practice Activity
Look up a primary source document from the Freedmen's Bureau, such as a labor contract or a school report, to see the real-world challenges people faced.