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Monday, August 8, 2016

The Civil War Amendments


America has 27 Amendments in her Constitution.  I truly believe this is one aspect that makes America great!  Our founders knew that America would be different 50, 100, years later.  So they made it  possible to change.  Though the process is really hard!  And it should be!  Our Constitution has been changed 27 times!  On average it takes 7 years for an amendment to pass - they want to make sure it is truly needed! Only 3 Amendments were passed under the normal time - the Civil War Amendments!


Everyone knows certain ones like the 18th - Prohibition, 21st - Only Amendment to repeal one (the 18th), and the 19th - Gave Women the right to vote!  Teaching this every year I have noticed many of the Amendments deal with voting!  That is why you need to participate and vote!  If voting did not matter then why did the US Government try to restrict the right so much?  That is for another day!  Three Amendments have made an impact!


America had just fought the worst kind of war - a civil war!  It was brother against brother, father against son, and countryman against countryman!  It was after the war, and how was the country let the South back in?  They left the Union and declared war on America!  How do you deal with that?  Everyone had an idea!  I'm glad I did not have to deal with  that!  One thing the North wanted was to ensure the South would not reinstate slavery when they were readmitted!  To accomplish that they pushed the Civil War Amendments through.  They wanted the Southern States to ratify them before they were readmitted!  A great movie to see is "Lincoln."  It is Lincoln's goal of getting the 13th Amendment passed.  You really get to see the politics behind the 13th Amendment!


The South did not  like this new equality and freedom for the newly freed slaves!  They will ratify these Amendments, but enact things that makes it hard to follow.  Jim Crow is born!  Laws were written, created, and enacted that made  segregation legal!  It will take 100 years to get  rid of!  So sad!

These images symbolize Jim Crow!

I think the 14th Amendment is amazing because it protects us all!  It was created because of Jim Crow, but now it has expanded to us all!





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