The Civil War
Amendments
As a result of the Civil War, three amendments passed between 1865 and 1870. They
were aimed at allowing ex-slaves and other groups the same rights enjoyed by most
Americans.
After the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery in
Confederate states that were still fighting against the Union. The Thirteenth (13th)
Amendment, however, abolished slavery in ALL of the United States and in any place
subject to its jurisdiction.
The Fourteenth (14th) Amendment granted citizenship to all people born in the United
States and to those who are naturalized citizens, those born in a foreign country but
gain citizenship in the US.
The Fifteenth (15th) Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended the right to vote to all adult
male citizens regardless of race or color. For many years after its ratification, however,
some states used poll taxes and literacy tests as a way to prevent black Americans from
voting. (A poll tax is a fixed amount of money every adult citizen is required to pay. In
the past, people were not allowed to vote in national elections if their taxes were not
paid.) This continued to happen until Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Answer the following questions based on the reading.
1. Highlight what each amendment and what it did.
2. How could a poll tax or literacy test have been used to prevent someone from
voting?
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3. Why are these three amendments sometimes called the Civil War amendments?
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4. All adult citizens over 18 years old have the right to vote. Many people do not
vote, however. Do you think it is important for every adult to vote? Explain your
answer.
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