Section 1. 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.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The 15th Amendment gave minorities group the right to vote. With this amendment in mind, states cannot deny an individual regarding any race to vote. However, women did not receive the same privilege until 50 years later of the ratification of the 19th amendment.
This amendment gave African American males the right to vote. However, in many southern states, the white men continue to find ways to prevent African American males to vote. Some of the strategies were an individual would have to pay a fee in order to vote or the grandfather clause.
The drawing above showed African Americans casting their vote for the first time in history. Thanks to the 15th Amendment, African Americans male are allow to vote, but people continue to try to prevent them from voting.
Section 1. 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.
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
The 14th Amendment was designed to to grant citizenship to and protect civil liberties of freed slaves and minorities. Basically, it guarantee equal protection under the laws.
The picture above showed a group of people protesting against the government, that is pushing to ban same sex marriage. Groups such as gays, lesbians, transgenders and other stereotypes of homosexual people. I think the government should not intervene with the decision people want to make. For example, if an individual choose to get marry to the same gender, he should be allow to do it. Under the 14th amendment, it guarantee equal protection under the laws.
The 14th amendment gave African Americans citizenship, stating that they are equal just like the white, however there are more obstacles for African American to overcome. In many southern states, the white would continue to discriminate the blacks from schools and many public accommodations.
Section 1. 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.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The 13th Amendment was designed to abolish slavery. It was adopted on December 6, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was concerned that the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves, so this amendment was necessary. This amendment guarantee that slavery would no longer exist.
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves in the north, but not the southern slaves. It was at the end of the American Civil War that he delivered this speech to unified the north and south together as one.
The picture above is from Harper's Weekly in 1865. It depicted even with 13th amendment passed, African Americans are still struggling to fight to civil rights. It won't be until later that African Americans can receive the same privilege with the Caucasian people.
