The effects of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments on the freedman By: Paul Giroux Nick Collins Nick Fontaine

Claim Although southern state governments tried to undermine the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments; Freedmen's rights to equality were protected by the federal government, which made the lives of freedmen better.

The Government's intentions in the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments ★ 13th: Abolished Slavery ★ 14th: Protect the rights of the former slaves ★ 15th: The right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition (but not gender) ★ These Amendments are the Government's attempt to transition the Black male from being a slave with no rights, to an equal, active American citizen. Saxton, Rufus. "Reconstuction Testimony" Speech, Congress's Joint Committee on Reconstruction from Unites States Congress, Washington, Kluger, Richard. A Simple Justice. Vintage, 2004.

Things the state governments did to undermine the amendments ❖ Literacy Tests -voting laws that made black men pass a nearly impossible literacy test before voting ❖ Black Codes - Created by southern state governments - Most codes only allowed freedmen to work on farms unless they bought a licence for another line of work -Vagrancy laws make it so unemployed freedmen could be thrown in jail, loaned for work or assigned to public jobs ❖ Klu Klux Klan - White terrorists break out in violent rage after 700,000 freedmen registered as voters after the 15th amendment

The rights for the freedman the government enforced ❖ Freedmen's Bureau- created to help blacks adjust to freedom by supervising labor and educational issues. Built churches, schools, and colleges, the central institutions that united the free african american community. ❖ The extension of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the first civil rights act made it so Freedmen’s rights to equality were protected by the federal government and federal courts. ❖ First Reconstruction Act made the ten states that did not ratify the 14th amendment were made into five military districts. ❖ Response to KKK-Congress passed election enforcement bills against the KKK and called for the U.S army to oversee the election process. Friedheim, William. Freedom's Unfinished Revolution. The New Press, 1996.

Works Cited ❖ Friedheim, William. Freedom's Unfinished Revolution. The New Press, ❖ Kluger, Richard. A Simple Justice. Vintage, ❖ Onion, Rebecca. "Voting rights and the Supreme Court: The impossible “literacy” test Louisiana used to give black voters.." Slate. possible_literacy_test_louisiana.html Onion, Rebecca. "Voting rights and the Supreme Court: The impossible “literacy” test Louisiana used to give black voters.." Slate. possible_literacy_test_louisiana.html ❖ Saxton, Rufus. "Reconstuction Testimony" Speech, Congress's Joint Committee on Reconstruction from Unites States Congress, Washington, ❖ Schroeder-Lein, Glenna R., and Richard Zuczek. "black codes." In American Government. ABC- CLIO, Accessed October 14,