The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed Congress in 1868, near the end of the Civil War.
The amendment did a lot more than just provide a legal foundation for African-Americans who were freed from slavery after their states did so. It also dealt with states’ rights and the powers of the federal government over them.
Before this amendment, Congress had little power over state governments, except for things it could regulate or propose through legislation at least three-fourths of the states agreed to pass.
This amendment gave Congress full power to regulate individuals and private institutions in all but fourteen areas where “the legislation of one state” could legally be enforced within another state without violating that state’s law or its constitution.
The answer is discussed here for, which constitutional amendment directly resulted from the civil war?
When the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, African-Americans could no longer be denied citizenship or voting rights in any state.
The amendment guaranteed that all persons would be “equal before the law.” It also provided for full citizenship rights to former slaves, along with powers to enforce their rights.
Here are some points discussed about the constitutional amendment resulted from Civil War-
1. The 14th Amendment.
This was the first section of the Reconstruction Amendments, which by 1868 had been passed by Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states, and entered into force.
The Amendment:
The amendment declared African Americans to be citizens and protected them from state law violations, such as exclusion from jury duty or discriminatory housing practices.
It prohibited state laws that deprived persons of their right to vote, and provided for lawsuits against those who violated federal voting rights laws.
2. The 15th Amendment.
This was the second section of the Reconstruction Amendments, which declared that the right to vote could not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
It also prohibited states from refusing to give voting rights to people on the basis of gender. The amendment was passed in February 1869 and was ratified by 36 of the then 48 states by August 1870.
3. The 16th Amendment.
This amendment provided Congress with authority to collect taxes on income without apportioning it among the states on the basis of population, as required for direct taxes by Article I Section 2 of the Constitution (ratified February 3, 1913).
The amendment was designed to resolve a dispute between the two major parties: the Democrats and the Republicans, which allowed for a higher federal tax rate than what was permitted under Article I Section 7 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court had struck down the tax on income in 1895 in “Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co.” when they ruled that Congress had exceeded its powers in passing an income tax that did not apportion its receipts among states on any basis other than Census figures.
4. The 17th Amendment.
This amendment established United States Senators as elected officials, rather than appointed by state legislatures. The Amendment required that United States Senators be elected by the people, rather than being appointed by state legislators.
Under normal circumstances, Congress had no role in state elections, but this amendment changed that. This change means that Senators are now subject to the same pressures as members of the House of Representatives.
5. The 1866 Reconstruction Act
The first section of this act provided for the formation of the Freedmen’s Bureau, which was responsible for providing relief to former slaves on plantations whose owners had abandoned or sold them.
The second section empowered Congress to appoint three members of the US District Court for each district of any one state where there was a substantial number of freedmen within its boundaries.
The third section empowered the president to give protection to persons who were under the jurisdiction of that court.
The fourth section established that all cases arising under the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States would be tried by a jury whose members had been sworn in under oath.
6.Constitutional Convention.
This convention gathered between 1867 and 1868 in Washington DC to revise the Articles of Confederation between all states after the Civil War occurred.
It was eventually passed by Congress on February 21, 1868, and ratified by 38 states by January 16, 1913.
This amendment provided that Congress could extend the punishment of disloyal persons under its jurisdiction to any other state, and required the President to take the same action in cases where such disloyal persons resided in another state.
