Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyReconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

Consider the following excerpt from a resolution passed by the Colored People's Convention of South Carolina in November 1865:

"We ask for no special privileges or special legislation... We ask simply that we be dealt with as other men; that the same laws which govern white men shall govern black men... and that we be fully represented in the halls of legislation."

Which of the following constitutional amendments was most directly ratified to address the convention's demand that black and white citizens be governed by the same laws?

  1. A
    The Thirteenth Amendment
  2. The Fourteenth AmendmentAnswer
  3. C
    The Fifteenth Amendment
  4. D
    The Sixteenth Amendment

Answer

The Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, directly addressed the demand for equal laws by establishing birthright citizenship and guaranteeing that no state could deny any person equal protection under the law. This constitutional guarantee was designed to overturn discriminatory state laws and ensure that black Americans were governed by the same legal standards as white Americans.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the petition's primary demand for legal equality.
The text demands that 'the same laws which govern white men shall govern black men,' which is a request for equal protection under the law.
Understanding the core demand of the historical stimulus is necessary to connect it to the correct constitutional remedy.
2
Evaluate the Reconstruction Amendments to find which one guaranteed equal legal protection.
The Fourteenth Amendment contains the Equal Protection Clause, which prohibits states from denying any person equal protection of the laws.
Identifying the specific clause in the Reconstruction Amendments that corresponds to the demand in the petition reveals the correct answer.

Key Concept

Reconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Reconstruction Amendments and Black Political Empowerment

More questions from this topic