The 13th Amendment
On December 6, 1865, an amendment was passed that became the foreground for all Civil Rights movements from then on. This amendment abolished slavery as well as involuntary servitude, the latter only being allowed as punishment for a crime. Proposals made by multiple Republican senators, including James F. Wilson of Iowa, James Mitchell Ashley of Ohio, and Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, brought awareness to just how necessary the abolition of slavery was to the country. The topic was so important that even a Democrat senator, John B. Henderson, advocated for the passing of the amendment. Although the amendment was quickly passed by the representatives and senators from Northern states, the members from the South took longer to persuade. Once the amendment was passed, the immediate response consisted of mixed reviews. In some Southern cases, blacks were still subjected to involuntary servitude. Despite Northerners overall exceptance of the amendment, segregation and discrimination w
The 14th Amendment
As the second of three amendments in the program referred to as Reconstruction, the 14th Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868. Proposed primarily by Congressman John A. Bingham of Ohio, the amendment grants citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States". The amendment also assured people the right to due process of the law and gave everyone, no matter what race, equal protection under the law. To many Southerners anger, this amendment gave former slaves citizenship. Despite the promises made with this amendment, white citizens had trouble respecting the rights of black citizens. The statements made in this amendment went against many Americans beliefs about what blacks were entitled to.
The 15th Amendment
Black males were given the right to vote with the passing of the 15th Amendment. This amendment was the third and final amendment in the Reconstruction program. Passed on February 3, 1870, this amendment was viewed by many as the beginning of the struggle for equal rights, not the end. Although African Americans were now able to vote, many people tried everything they could to prevent them from actually voting. The most common thing the white citizens did was increase poll taxes for only black men, because they knew that they could not afford to pay it. Grandfather clauses and literacy tests were also used against the black citizens. However, during the time period after this amendment was passed, there was a significant increase in blacks elected into government positions.
Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on September 9, 1957. This marked the first recent occasion that the federal government took significant action to protect civil rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 included provisions to protect voting rights, established the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department, and created a six-member U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibiting discrimination based on sex, color, religion, national origin, or race, this act had a major impact on the country which still is in effect to this day. Finally ending Jim Crow laws, the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant that African Americans were even closer to reaching their final goal of excepted equality throughout the United States. The proposal for this act was initially made by JFK, but was passed during Lyndon B. Johnson's term in office. Despite there being difficulties with actually getting the bill to be passed, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was officially passed on July 2, 1964. The act finally prohibited discrimination in all public places, includig schools, libraries, and restaurants.
Voting Act of 1965
Even after the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, people tried to stop African Americans from voting. African Americans had to take literacy tests, pay poll taxes, and risk harassment if they wanted to vote. The Voting Act of 1965 made it illegal to try to stop someone from voting because of their race.