Reconstruction Amendments: African Americans And The American Dream

For a multitude of years, African Americans were considered purchasable property, not people. When the United States ratified the Constitution and they had established their government, slavery had not been abolished. It was not until the period after The Civil War that the United States government passed the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments and African Americans had gained their long-awaited freedom and civil rights. These Reconstruction Amendments gave African Americans the right to live the American Dream. The Reconstruction Amendments helped African Americans build an American Dream by promoting their general welfare, giving them liberty, and assuring justice for all people of color. To begin with, the Thirteenth Amendment helped the African Americans build an

The government has a responsibility to care for its citizens, but since African Americans weren’t citizens, they were not protected under the law. The Fourteenth Amendment states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States . . . are citizens of the United States.” This meant that all people born in the United States, including African Americans, would now be citizens and protected under the law, hence promoting their general welfare. The government needs to make sure that all of their citizens have a voice in politics to maintain this country’s democracy. The Fifteenth Amendment states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied . . . by any account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” When the government passed the Fifteenth Amendment, African Americans had a voice in politics. African Americans could vote for the politician that could promote the general welfare the most. The Reconstruction Amendments promoted the general welfare of many African Americans and helped them build an American