Why was the 14th and 15th Amendments passed?
Asked by: Freddie Abshire | Last update: February 11, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (15 votes)
The 14th and 15th Amendments were passed after the Civil War as part of Reconstruction to grant full citizenship, legal rights, and voting rights to formerly enslaved African Americans, ensuring equality under the law, overturning discriminatory rulings like Dred Scott, and preventing states from denying these fundamental rights based on race, color, or previous servitude, though these promises were often undermined by state laws and intimidation for decades.
Why were the 14th and 15th Amendments passed?
Ratified between 1865 and 1870, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, known as the “Reconstruction Amendments,” ended slavery in the United States, ensured birthright citizenship, as well as due process and “equal protection of the laws” under the federal and state governments, and expanded voting ...
What caused the 14th Amendment to be passed?
Considered one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. The Fourteenth Amendment was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the American Civil War, and its enactment was bitterly contested.
Why did the 15th Amendment get passed?
After the election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868, Congress proposed a new amendment that would ban all restrictions on the right to vote regarding ethnicity and prior slave status. In spite of heavy opposition by the Southern delegations, Congress ratified the Fifteenth Amendment on February 3, 1870.
Why were the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution passed after the Civil War insufficient in guaranteeing voting rights to African American men?
The Fifteenth Amendment (ratified in 1870) extended voting rights to men of all races. However, this amendment was not enough because African Americans were still denied the right to vote by state constitutions and laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the “grandfather clause,” and outright intimidation.
U.S. History | 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
How did the failure to enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments contribute to the rise of Jim Crow laws?
Similarly, the failure to enforce the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause—exemplified by Supreme Court decisions like Plessy v. Ferguson—permitted discriminatory practices to evolve from Jim Crow-era redlining into contemporary housing segregation, economic inequality, and restricted educational access.
Was the 14th Amendment written for slaves?
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is one of the nation's most important laws relating to citizenship and civil rights. Ratified in 1868, three years after the abolishment of slavery, the 14th Amendment served a revolutionary purpose — to define African Americans as equal citizens under the law.
What motivated Republicans to pass the 15th Amendment?
Most of the border states, where one-sixth of the nation's Black population resided, also refused to allow Black people to vote. Republicans' answer to the problem of the Black vote was to add a Constitutional amendment that guaranteed Black suffrage in all states, and no matter which party controlled the government.
Did any Democrats vote for the 15th Amendment?
According to the Library of Congress, in the House of Representatives 144 Republicans voted to approve the 15th Amendment, with zero Democrats in favor, 39 no votes, and seven abstentions. In the Senate, 33 Republicans voted to approve, again with zero Democrats in favor.
Why was the 15th Amendment created brainly?
The Fifteenth Amendment was created to prevent discrimination against voters based on race, ensuring that African American men could vote. Ratified in 1870 during the Reconstruction Era, it aimed to abolish discriminatory laws that prevented African Americans from exercising their voting rights.
What was a reason that the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868?
A major provision of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people.
How was the 14th Amendment added?
Congress must call a convention for proposing amendments upon application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states (i.e., 34 of 50 states). Amendments proposed by Congress or convention become valid only when ratified by the legislatures of, or conventions in, three-fourths of the states (i.e., 38 of 50 states).
What was the main reason the constitution was ratified?
The Constitution promised a stronger central government that included a Congress with the power to tax, which had been a profound weakness under the Articles of Confederation.
Why did the 14th Amendment get passed?
This law was passed after the end of the U.S. Civil War as a way to affirm the rights of Black Americans who were formerly enslaved. In addition to legally establishing what defines citizenship, the 14th Amendment guaranteed equal protection under the law.
Who created the Jim Crow laws?
White Democrats had regained political power in every Southern state. These Southern, white, "Redeemer" governments legislated Jim Crow laws, officially segregating the country's population.
What was the original purpose of the 14th Amendment Quizlet?
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was introduced by Congress to. This is in response to the post-war Reconstruction following the American Civil War. Granting these rights to African Americans established a framework for their protection, individual liberties, and equal treatment regardless of race.
Why did radical Republicans support the 15th Amendment?
To former abolitionists and to the Radical Republicans in Congress who fashioned Reconstruction after the Civil War, the 15th Amendment, enacted in 1870, appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans.
Who opposed the 15th Amendment?
Activists bitterly fought about whether to support or oppose the Fifteenth Amendment. Stanton and Susan B. Anthony objected to the new law. They wanted women to be included with black men.
Which group was most affected by the passage of the 15th Amendment?
The 15th Amendment guaranteed African-American men the right to vote. Almost immediately after ratification, African Americans began to take part in running for office and voting.
Who benefited the most from the 15th Amendment?
The constitutional meaning of the Civil War was reflected in these three amendments; when the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, it represented the principle that African-American citizens—many of them former slaves—were now entitled to political equality.
Which party supported the 14th Amendment?
Following a heated campaign between President Johnson and the Reconstruction Republicans over the future of the 14th Amendment, the Republican Party won a landslide victory in the congressional elections of 1866, solidifying their political power over Reconstruction policy.
What were the problems with the 15th Amendment?
The Fifteenth Amendment had a significant loophole: it did not grant suffrage to all men, but only prohibited discrimination on the basis of race and former slave status. States could require voters to pass literacy tests or pay poll taxes -- difficult tasks for the formerly enslaved, who had little education or money.
Who abolished slavery in the USA?
On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states (three-fourths) ratified it by December 6, 1865.
When did blacks get rights?
Following the Civil War, three constitutional amendments were passed, including the 13th Amendment (1865) that ended slavery; the 14th Amendment (1869) that gave black people citizenship, adding their total for Congressional apportionment; and the 15th Amendment (1870) that gave black males the right to vote (only ...
Are Native Americans a birthright citizen?
Native Americans born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens, and ICE cannot detain or deport them for immigration violations. Since 1924, federal law has guaranteed Native American citizenship. A 2025 Executive Order has ignited debates on the Fourteenth Amendment, referencing past denials of Native rights.