Online Textbook Chapter 16 Assignment 5 Points For Each Ques

Online Textbook Chapter 16 Assignment 5 Points For Each Question

Students should read Chapter 16 of the online textbook. Students should be sure to read any historical documents that appear in the online textbook but are not required to click on any of the links that take the reader to an external internet site. After reading Chapter 16, students are to complete two questions (see below). For each question, students should write a response of at least 150 words. Students are welcome to go over the minimum word count requirement.

If you include the question in your response, it does not count toward the word count requirement. The response should be written in your own words. DO NOT cut and paste the response from sentences or phrases from the textbook. Each response must reflect the content of the textbook. Not what students looked up online.

These questions are designed to hold students accountable for the reading as well as to be used as notes for the essay exams. Students taking their time in their reading and question responses will have a major head start on the essay exams. These responses will be evaluated on how well the responses reflect the content of the reading. Students should submit their responses as ONE Word doc or PDF file to Canvas. Chapter 15 Questions (please identify your response by question number) 15.

Consider the differences between the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. What does the Fourteenth Amendment do that that Thirteenth does not? 16. Consider social, political, and economic equality. In what ways did Radical Reconstruction address and secure these forms of equality? Where did it fall short?

Paper For Above instruction

The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments are pivotal in the history of American constitutional law, specifically in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865, primarily abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, marking a decisive legal end to the institution of slavery in the United States. Its focus was singular: it criminalized slavery and aimed to ensure that no person could be legally held in bondage purely because of race or economic status. However, it did not address other issues related to civil rights or equality beyond abolishing slavery.

In contrast, the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, expanded on the core principles established by the Thirteenth. Its key provision ensured that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. This clause, known as the Citizenship Clause, granted citizenship to formerly enslaved individuals and was a significant step toward establishing legal equality. Moreover, the Fourteenth Amendment contained the Equal Protection Clause, which prohibited states from denying any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. This was a groundbreaking element, as it directly challenged discriminatory statutes and practices.

While the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, it did not provide protections against racial discrimination or ensure civil rights for African Americans. The Fourteenth Amendment, therefore, played a crucial role in actively protecting and extending civil rights by establishing citizenship rights and securing legal equality under the law. It laid the constitutional groundwork for future civil rights legislation and Supreme Court decisions aimed at racial equality.

Radical Reconstruction, which occurred during the Reconstruction Era, sought to address social, political, and economic inequalities faced by formerly enslaved people and Southern states. Politically, it aimed to grant African Americans the right to vote and participate in government, which was partially achieved through the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment. Socially, it attempted to promote integration and elevate African Americans’ status in Southern society, although this faced strong resistance. Economically, Reconstruction efforts included rebuilding the Southern economy and providing former slaves with land and economic opportunities, such as the failed attempt at "40 acres and a mule."

However, Radical Reconstruction fell short in several areas. Politically, despite granting voting rights, Black Southerners faced violence, intimidation, and discriminatory laws such as Black Codes and later Jim Crow laws that undermined their political power. Socially, racial tensions persisted, and there was limited genuine integration due to entrenched white supremacy. Economically, most freedpeople did not receive land or meaningful economic independence, and sharecropping systems often kept them in cycles of poverty. Thus, while Reconstruction made significant legal and political strides, it struggled to achieve lasting social and economic equality.

In conclusion, the Thirteenth Amendment was limited to ending slavery, whereas the Fourteenth expanded protection of civil rights through citizenship and equal protection laws. Radical Reconstruction aimed to promote social, political, and economic equality but was ultimately constrained by resistance and systemic barriers. Its efforts laid the foundation for future civil rights advances, but many of its promises remained unfulfilled during and immediately after the Reconstruction era.

References

1. Foner, Eric. (1988). Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877. Harper & Row.
2. Berkin, C. (2009). A Short History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. McGraw-Hill Education.
3. McPherson, J. M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press.
4. Finkelman, P. (2010). Slavery and the Law. Columbia University Press.
5. Rosen, J. (2006). The Uncivil War: the Struggle for American Civil Rights. William Morrow.
6. Litwack, L. F. (2009). Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Vintage.
7. Calhoun, C. (2007). The American Civil Rights Movement: A Short History. Oxford University Press.
8. Woodward, C. V. (2001). Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution. Oxford University Press.
9. Hahn, S. (2003). A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Social and Political Thought in the Reconstruction Era. Harvard University Press.
10. Foner, E. (2014). The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution. W. W. Norton & Company.