The 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments
A look at the Reconstruction Amendments!
Objective
By the end of the lesson, students
will be able to identify the 13th,
14th, and 15th amendments.
By the end of the lesson, students
will be able to explain the main
idea of “due process”
Reconstruction
Given what happened during the Civil
War, what do you think the South
looked like after the Civil War?
Why?
Reconstruction
After the Civil War the South
suffered. Many cities, farms,
and businesses were destroyed
by the war!
Reconstruction
Slaves were now free because of
the Emancipation Proclamation
signed by Abraham Lincoln
during the Civil War.
Amendments
The United States Government in
Washington D.C. decided to help the
South and make some changes that
would help the freed slaves and make
America a better place to live.
They
passed
Amendments.
three
important
QUICK....
What is an AMENDMENT!?
Amendment
A change to the Constitution!
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment declared that
slavery would not be allowed to exist
in the United States.
It made slavery illegal!
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment gave citizenship
to African Americans!
A person’s race could not be a reason
to deny them citizenship.
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment declared that
states could not limit the rights of
citizens.
States could not take away life,
liberty(freedom), or property without
due process of the law.
Due Process
What does it mean by due process in the
14th Amendment?
Due Process means that the
Government must follow the Constitution
and all of the Bill of Rights in it before it
can take away anything from you.
Due Process
In other words, the government must
give a person a fair and fast trial
before they can take away a person’s
rights!
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave all men
the right to vote, no matter what their
skin color was or if they had been
enslaved.
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
13th Amendment - It made slavery
unconstitutional and illegal!
14th Amendment - It stated that states
could not take away the rights of citizens
without due process of the law.
15th Amendment - It allowed all men to
vote, no matter their skin color.
Amendment Fever!
Directions - You and your group must
work together. Your goal is to guess the
correct Amendment that is being violated
or broken. Each team’s recorder will keep
track of their team’s points.
#1
Bernie lives in the South after the Civil
War. As he is trying to leave the
plantation where he used to be a slave,
his plantation owner Billy Bob stops him
and says, “I paid for you, you are my
slave, you must stay!”
What Amendment is Billy Bob breaking?
ANSWER!
13th!!!
Billy Bob can not tell anyone to
be a slave! Slavery became
unconstitutional with the 13th
Amendment!!
#2
A old old man named Larry
wobbles up to the voting booth.
Betty, the person that works at the
voting place says, “Go away old
man, you can’t vote here!”
What
Amendment
breaking?
is
Betty
ANSWER
15th Amendment!
According to the 15th Amendment, all
men have the right to vote no matter of
age or race!
#3
It is 1865, and the Sheriff in a small
town arrests Steve, a former slave,
for stealing food from the market.
The Sheriff throws him jail and never
gives him a trial.
What TWO Amendments is the Sheriff
breaking?
ANSWER
The 6th and the 14th Amendments!
The 6th Amendment says you must
have a trial if you are accused of a
crime. The 14th Amendment says you
must have due process (which
includes a trial) before they can take
anything away such as your liberty
(freedom).
#4
A man decides that he needs people to
work at a factory, but he can’t pay them.
He decides to force his employees to
work without paying them a single
dollar.
What amendment is the man breaking?
ANSWER
The 13th Amendment - The
man cannot force people to
work for free!
#5
John came home from work one
afternoon and noticed that all of his
property was gone. He saw a note and it
said, “ We have taken your property
because you owe us money. Thanks,
U.S. Government.” He had nobody to
contact to get the stuff back.
What Amendment did the Government
break?
ANSWER
The 14th Amendment - Nobody is
allowed to take your property without
due process. This means that if the
government wants to do something, you
have the right to go to court. It is up to
the Government to prove their case, not
for you to prove your innocence of a
crime.
Conclusion
13th Amendment - Ended Slavery
14th Amendment - Due Process
Due Process - the government must
respect all of your legal rights not just
some.
15th Amendment - All men can vote
Amendment Flipbook!
DIRECTIONS: You should have four
note cards. The first note card is your
cover. On the second note card, you will
write 13th Amendment on one side, and
write what it is and draw a picture to go
along with it on the other side. Do the
same with the other notecards for the
14th and 15th Amendments!
EXIT TICKET
What is the 13th Amendment?
What is the 14th Amendment?
What is the 15th Amendment?
Why were these Amendments
important for the future of America?