The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were added after the Civil War to settle disputes around the rights of former slaves. The 13th abolished slavery. The 14th established equal protection under the law and prohibited states from denying rights. The 15th extended the right to vote to African American men.

2. 13th Amendment: Abolishes slavery
14th Amendment: Equal Protection
15th Amendment: Extended suffrage to
former slaves
 Added to the Constitution after the Civil
War
 Attempted to settle disputes about the
rights of former slaves and their
descendants

3.  Protection against slavery
› Any form of slavery or forced labor is
outlawed and is criminally punishable.

4.  Equal Protection Amendment
1. Protection Against Discrimination under
the law
› After defining citizenship as anyone “born or
naturalized in the United States,” it
guarantees everyone meeting this criterion to
have “equal protection of the laws.”
2. Protection from the States
› States are required to defend and protect
citizens natural rights as vigilantly as the
national government

5.  Right to Vote for All Citizens
› Suffrage is guaranteed to all citizens
regardless of “race”, “color”, or “former
condition of servitude.”
 Vocabulary:
1. Suffrage
 the right to vote

6.  Direct Election of Senators
› Overturns the provision of Article I where
state legislatures were to choose Senators
from that state. Senators would now be
elected by a popular vote of each state’s
population.
 Vocabulary
1. Direct Election:
 when a straight popular vote determines
the “winner”

7.  Right to Vote for Women
› Suffrage is guaranteed to women who had
been denied this right by state laws.

8.  Right to vote for District of
Columbia in National Elections
› Since Washington, D.C. is not in a
state, it’s citizens did not have the right to
vote in national elections.
Washington, D.C. now has 3 Electoral
Votes when choosing the President.

9.  Abolition of Poll Taxes
› States avoided the 15th Amendment by
requiring people to pay a fee in order to
vote. Those who could not afford it could
not vote. Typically, this was African-
Americans.
 Vocabulary
1. Abolish:
 To eliminate

10.  Suffrage Extended to age 18
› Eighteen becomes the legal voting age for
all those who meet the citizenship
requirements.