The Thirteenth Amendment officially ended legal slavery in America: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

The Fourteenth Amendment was a permanent, constitutional safeguard of freed people’s rights as citizens. According to this amendment, (1) all persons born or naturalized in the United States are declared citizens and (2) states are required to respect and protect the rights of all citizens to “equal protection of the laws” and “due process of law.” The amendment eliminated race as a basis for US citizenship, and Congress had the power and responsibility to protect citizens’ rights.

The Fifteenth Amendment banned both federal and state governments from restricting or denying a person’s right to vote because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.