13th Amendment Thesis

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Pages: 6

The 13th amendment, passed on January 1, 1865 abolished slavery throughout America, but was far from fixing all the racial issues of the time. Ever since the end of the Civil War, African Americans struggled to benefit from their full rights that the Constitution promised. The fourteenth Amendment, which defined national citizenship, was passed in 1866. Even though African Americans were promised citizenship, they were still treated as if they were unequal. The South had an extremely difficult time accepting African Americans as equals, and did anything they could to prevent the desegregation of all races. During the Reconstruction Era, there were plans to end segregation; however, past prejudices and personal beliefs elongated the process, …show more content…
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public education was unconstitutional in the case of Brown vs. The Board of Education. This unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned the prior Plessy vs. Ferguson case during which the “separate but equal” clause was put into effect. This victory was a significant step to legally ending segregation in America. After Ms. Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat in the “colored section” of a Montgomery bus, a boycott of the public bus took place. This nonviolent boycott, which lasted more than a year, led to the desegregation of buses in 1956 and resulted in another legislative victory. Finally in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was put into effect, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This act is considered one of the highest legislative achievements of the Civil Rights Movement. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was eventually signed into law by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. In following years, Congress expanded the act and also passed additional legislation aimed at bringing equality to African Americans, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 directly addressed the issue of the very low, black voter registration during reconstruction. While at times it was legal for African Americans to vote, many states intimidated blacks from voting and required absurd literary tests that made it impossible for African Americans to register. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices. Also passed during this time was