The three Reconstruction amendments were major elements in this era. They provided clear definitions to parts of the Constitution in regards to citizenship, suffrage, and slavery. At the same time, they helped mend a broken nation and bring it back together by facilitating readmission of ex-confederate states back into the Union upon ratification. After Lincoln’’s assassination, Johnson required all ex-confederate states to ratify the 13th Amendment, which freed the slaves. Congress approved it in 1865 and it was ratified that same year in December. The major issue of the Civil War had now been conquered and after hundreds of years of legalized slavery, its existence ceased in the U.S. Congress a

dopted the 14th Amendment in 1866. It contained four provisions: (1) Defined citizenship to those who were born or naturalized in the U.S. (2) Consequential loss of congressional representation to states that denied male suffrage (3) Banned officeholders who had supported the Confederacy from holding state or national office (4) Repudiated federal debt and acknowledged the validity of the federal debt. It was an ambitious attempt to deal with freed slaves and the problems of reconstruction. For the first time, there was a national effort to limit states’’ power over civil and political rights. Republicans drew up the 15th Amendment, which was aimed to prohibit denial of suffrage on the basis of race, color, or previous servitude. It was aimed to extend Republican vote to north and border states. Though the amendment drew opposition from Democrats and debate with women because it made no provision for them, it was ratified in 1870. Through the three amendments, the rays of democracy extended by abolishing slavery, drawing the rights of citizens, and prohibiting the denial of suffrage. Confederate states were finally readmitted.

Constitution because most of their ideas were rejected. Today, most of these Anti-Federalist views are gone. The vast majority of the population sees the Constitution as an ingenious document that is the foundation of the greatest nation in the world.

Perhaps the greatest document of all time, the Constitution of the United States of America was not easily created. Fifty-five great men were needed to hammer out all the details of

Some topics in this essay:
Civil War, Anti-Federalists Federalists, War Reconstruction, Bill Rights, James Madison, Americans Anti-Federalists, Constitution United, United America, Rights Anti-Federalists, Anti-Federalists Constitution, civil war, bill rights, happy constitution, federalists anti-federalists, constitution bill rights, constitution united, freed slaves, anti-federalists federalists, reconstruction amendments, federal debt, views federalists, consequences civil war, views federalists anti-federalists, federalists anti-federalists federalists,