For a very long time, racism created a sense of inferiority among the American minority population. The slaves enjoyed almost none of the rights anchored in the robust constitution. Some of the rights and privileges enjoyed by the American people was the right to vote and express themselves with no restrictions. Therefore, this article looks back into the U.S. history: social, political and legal landscape after the 14th and the 15th amendments in the constitution 1 . Indeed, the republican dialogue had to continue among the well-educated Americans who took a stand on Reparation ground. They still took a stand on how reparations needed to be buried since the American slaves were buried. Therefore, despite the challenges, the paper seeks to answer the questions and the significant changes that were effected in the country to find the solution that affected a significant portion of the American people.
The American constitution, formally adopted by the original twelve states in September 17th 1787, has the best plan of the government extant. Framed at a time when the young country was proud of blood-bought freedom the founding fathers wrote the constitution without putting in mind the interests of other Americans who were not natives 2 . As time progressed, people started pointing out the weak links in the constitution. Some of the papers written by James Madison and John Jay raised people’s eyebrows on realizing the defects of the government in existence. As a result, conventions were held, and a Federal constitution was agreed upon.
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The fourteenth Amendment clearly outlined citizenship in the country. It stated that all persons born or naturalized and are subjected to jurisdiction are real citizens of the United States and the State in which they reside. The sentence in citizenship is the beginning sentence of the 14th Amendment of the constitution. The statement raised so many opinions among the people, especially the conservative Americans who saw America as their own and not for the others too. As the federal government burnt slavery in the country, the court was against the decision 3 . It denied the rights of the country to prohibit slavery in different states. Over the years, slavery had been used as a means of free labor in the plantations. Citizenship carried with it many privileges and immunities and rights, and that was one of the significant reasons several people, including government institutions, were against the 14th Amendment.
The fifteenth Amendment focused on the rights of American citizens. One of them being the right to vote. Section 1 insisted on the fact that all American citizens, from any race, had a right to vote. Additionally, section 2 of the Amendment gave Congress the power to make sure that the right in section one is reinforced 4 . This particular Amendment gave a right to the enslaved people, the ones who were only used to holding shovels and digging with a hoe was now permitted to cast a legal vote into the ballot box. Minds oppressed with agony for centuries were now free from the bondage. Gradually conforming themselves to the task, former slaves, proved to the whole world their franchise in an honorable manner.
In conclusion, some challenges are faced by the minorities in the country. However, things are getting better with time. Just like America is known to the outside world as a land of the free and a home of the brave, the oppressed minorities in America are making strides, and the constitution is being tailored to accommodate for the changes.
Bibliographies
Brooks, Edward Anderson. "The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the Untied States." (1892).
Center, Brennan. "A New Birth Of Freedom: The Forgotten History Of The 13th, 14th, And 15th Amendments."
Gormley, W. Paul. "The Reconstruction Amendments' Debates: The Legislative History and Contemporary Debates in Congress on the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments." DePaul Law Review 17, no. 3 (2015): 621.
Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. "The American Yawp." (2015).
1 Brooks, Edward Anderson. "The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States." (1892).
2 Center, Brennan. "A New Birth of Freedom: The Forgotten History of The 13th, 14th, And 15th Amendments."
3 Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. "The American Yawp." (2015).
4 Gormley, W. Paul. "The Reconstruction Amendments' Debates: The Legislative History and Contemporary Debates in Congress on the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments." DePaul Law Review 17, no. 3 (2015): 621.
