The Reconstruction Amendments are often referred to as Civil War Amendments. These are Amendments that were created and ratified in the five years following the Civil War, meaning between 1865 and 1870.
The necessity of the Reconstruction
Amendments were to implement the important changes that were necessary in order to begin to reform and rebuild the United States to the envisioned status that was desired.
The Civil War Amendments are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments that are found in the U.S. Constitution. These Amendments were proposed and placed in the Constitution in order to give rights and protection to individuals who did not have them before. This essentially gave legal rights to the slaves who were set free during this time and promised not to discriminate against any other groups of individuals.
The Thirteenth Amendment was the Amendment that installed and legally abolished slavery in the United States. This was an important step in the unification of the north and south, as well as the progressive movement towards other legal
actions.
The Fourteenth Amendment, yet another of the Reconstruction Amendments, was the one that helped to redefine what was considered citizenship in the United States. This is also where the liberties and the rights of individuals were extended
and defined a bit more in order to encompass the broadening population of U.S. Citizens.
The Fifteenth Amendment was the final installation in the Civil War Amendments. This Amendment gave people, only males at this time, the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous status in the United States. These Reconstruction Amendments helped to move the United States into a more unified and progressive nation.
