The Reconstruction Amendments: Constitutional Changes After the Civil War

Between 1865 and 1870, the United States ratified three constitutional amendments known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery nationwide in 1865, the 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship and equal protection under law in 1868, and the 15th Amendment prohibited voting discrimination based on race in 1870. These amendments emerged during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, aiming to secure rights for newly freed African Americans and expand federal authority over states. They faced significant resistance through Black Codes, violence from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and later Jim Crow laws, but established legal foundations that continue to influence civil rights jurisprudence today.