WNET CPB
The Reconstruction Amendments

Introduction

The Reconstruction Era (1863–1877) refers to the period in American history directly following the Civil War. 

During this time the United States faced two critical questions that would test its commitment to democratic ideals:

  1.  How should the rebellious Southern states be reintegrated, both politically and economically, into the union? 
     
  2.  What would the legal status of African Americans be after millions in the Confederate states had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation?

The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution, all enacted during Reconstruction, were a part of the attempt to answer these questions, and together they laid the groundwork for generations of Americans seeking equal protection under the law. 

Many people mistakenly believe that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States. The proclamation only freed the enslaved in the states that had rebelled against the Union. Approximately one quarter of all enslaved Americans remained in bondage in the Union following the proclamation. 

Watch the video below to learn about the Reconstruction Amendments and answer the following questions in the notes section:
● What metaphor does historian Louise Weinberg use to describe the Reconstruction Amendments? Why do you think she chose this metaphor?
● Why do all three experts in the video consider the 14th Amendment to be so important? 

Keyboard Shortcut Action
Space Pause/Play video playback
Enter Pause/Play video playback
m Mute/Unmute video volume
Up and Down arrows Increase and decrease volume by 10%
Right and Left arrows Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds
0-9 Fast seek to x% of the video.
f Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key.
c Press c to toggle captions on or off