The 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments
A look at the Reconstruction Amendments!
Objective
By the end of the lesson, SWBAT
identify the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments.
By the end of the lesson, SWBAT
to explain the main idea of “due
process”
Reconstruction
Given what happened during the Civil
War with the Atlanta Campaign and
Sherman’s March to the Sea, what do
you think the South looked like after the
Civil War?
Why?
Reconstruction
After the Civil War the South
was hurt really badly. Many
cities, farms, and businesses
were destroyed by the war!
Reconstruction
Slaves were now free because
of the Emancipation
Proclamation signed by
Abraham Lincoln during the
Civil War.
Amendments
The United States Government in
Washington D.C. decided to help the
South and make some changes that
would help the freed slaves and make
America a better place to live.
They passed three important
Amendments.
QUICK....
What is an
AMENDMENT!?
Amendment
A change to the
Constitution!
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment
declared that slavery would
not be allowed to exist in the
United States.
It made slavery illegal!
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment gave citizenship
to African Americans!
A person’s race could not be a reason
to deny them citizenship.
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment declared
that states could not limit the
rights of citizens.
States could not take away life,
liberty(freedom), or property
without due process of the law.
Due Process
What does it mean by due process in
the 14th Amendment?
Due Process means that the
Government must follow the
Constitution and all of the Bill of
Rights in it before it can take
away anything from you.
Due Process
In other words, the government
must give a person a fair and fast
trial before they can take away a
person’s rights!
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave
all men the right to vote, no
matter what their skin color
was or if they had been
enslaved.
13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
13th Amendment - It made slavery
unconstitutional and illegal!
14th Amendment - It stated that states
could not take away the rights of
citizens without due process of the law.
15th Amendment - It allowed all men to
vote, no matter their skin color.
Amendment Fever!
Directions - You and your group must
work together. Your goal is to guess
the correct Amendment that is being
violated or broken. Each team’s
recorder will keep track of their
team’s points. The team with the
most points, will get a prize next
class!!
#1
Bernie lives in the South after the
Civil War. As he is trying to leave
the plantation where he used to be
a slave, his plantation owner Billy
Bob stops him and says, “I paid for
you, you are my slave, you must
stay!”
What Amendment is Billy Bob
breaking?
ANSWER!
13th!!!
Billy Bob can not tell anyone to
be a slave! Slavery became
unconstitutional with the 13th
Amendment!!
#2
A old old man named Larry
wobbles up to the voting booth.
Betty, the person that works at
the voting place says, “Go away
old man, you can’t vote here!”
What Amendment is Betty breaking?
ANSWER
15th Amendment!
According to the 15th Amendment, all
men have the right to vote no matter of
age or race!
#3
It is 1865, and the Sheriff in a
small town arrests Steve, a former
slave, for stealing food from the
market. The Sheriff throws him jail
and never gives him a trial.
What TWO Amendments is the Sheriff
breaking?
ANSWER
The 6th and the 14th Amendments!
The 6th Amendment says you must
have a trial if you are accused of a
crime. The 14th Amendment says
you must have due process (which
includes a trial) before they can take
anything away such as your liberty
(freedom).
#4
A man decides that he needs
people to work at a factory, but
he can’t pay them. He decides to
force his employees to work
without paying them a single
dollar.
What amendment is the man
breaking?
ANSWER
The 13th Amendment - The
man cannot force people to
work for free!
#5
John came home from work one
afternoon and noticed that all of his
property was gone. He saw a note
and it said, “We have taken your
property because you owe us
money. Thanks, U.S. Government.”
He had nobody to contact to get the
stuff back.
What Amendment did the
Government break?
ANSWER
The 14th Amendment - Nobody is
allowed to take your property without
due process. This means that if the
government wants to do something,
you have the right to go to court. It is
up to the Government to prove their
case, not for you to prove your
innocence of a crime.
Conclusion
13th Amendment - Ended Slavery
14th Amendment - Due Process
Due Process - the government
must respect all of your legal
rights not just some.
15th Amendment - All men can
vote
Amendment Flipbook!
DIRECTIONS: You should have four
note cards. The first note card is your
cover. On the second note card, you
will write 13th Amendment on one
side, and write what it is and draw a
picture to along with it on the other
side. Do the same with the rest of the
notecards for the 14th and 15th
Amendments!
EXIT TICKET
What is the 13th Amendment?
What is the 14th Amendment?
What is the 15th Amendment?
Why were these Amendments
important for the future of
America?