the era’s most tangible legacies are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The Thirteenth irrevocably abolished slavery. The Fourteenth constitutionalized the principles of birthright citizenship and equality before the law and sought to settle key issues arising from the war, such as the future political role of Confederate leaders and the fate of Confederate debt. The Fifteenth aimed to secure black male suffrage throughout the reunited nation.
