Day 4.2 Progressive Era: Reconstruction Amendments and Jim Crow Laws

Progressive Era:

Reconstruction Amendments and Jim Crow Laws

13th Amendment

13th Amendment

• Ratified in 1865
• Freedom for millions of African Americans who had been enslaved
• Laid the foundation for future civil rights advancements

Thirteenth Amendment

'Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, shall exist within the United States.'

14th Amendment

• Ratified in 1868
• Granted U.S. Citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, which included former slaves.
• Key provision of this amemdment is the Equal Protection Clause

Fourteenth Amendment

Equal Protection Clause, which guarantees that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction 'the equal protection of the laws.'

15th Amendment

• Ratified in 1870
• Aimed to secure voting rights for African American males.
• Crucial in allowing African American men to participate in the democratic process

Fifteenth Amendment

right to vote cannot be denied based on 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'

Jim Crow Laws

13th Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution

"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."

› Affected every aspect of life, from schools to public transportation

› Aimed to maintain white supremacy and enforce racial segregation

› Dispite these significant amendments, many Southern states enacted Jim Crow laws

Jim Crow Laws

› Laws created system of institutionalized discrimination

For Example

Jim Crow laws mandated segregation in public facilities, such as schools, restaurants, and drinking fountains. This segregation violated the equal treatment guaranteed by the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Furthermore, laws like poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses were implemented to suppress African American voting rights, directly undermining the Fifteenth Amendment.

Furthermore:

Plessy v. Ferguson

› Set back civil rights for decades, solidifing Jim Crow across the South

› Court ruled that racial segration was constitutional as long as the facilities provided were "seperate but equal"

› Supreme Court case in 1896

Plessy v. Ferguson

› Ruling effectively legalized segregation

In conclusion, while the Reconstruction Amendments represented a significant step forward for African Americans, the subsequent enactment of Jim Crow laws and the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson demonstrated the ongoing struggle for equality.