1996 DBQ

            In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1865 and 1877 amount to a revolution? .
             The Radical Reconstruction from 1865 until 1877 was one that brought about major controversy within the recently reunited America. Three constitutional amendments significant to this time were each considered a revolution in themselves. Various important social developments also came about during this period of time regarding blacks and their emerging positions in society. Although the effects were not long-lasting, the twelve year period of Reconstruction after the Civil War was one that revolved around defining the rights and roles of newly freed blacks through revolutionary constitutional and social developments.
             Major constitutional developments of this time include three key amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Thirteenth Amendment became the final step in completely abolishing slavery as an institution in the United States. The issue of slavery, which had been a major cause of the Civil War, was finally resolved through this single establishment. A year later, in 1866, the Civil Rights Act was introduced, declaring all blacks to be citizens of the United States. This proposal was revolutionary because it was the first time blacks were officially recognized as humans and American citizens. (Document F) The act was vetoed by President Johnson but passed by Congress. Later, it would become part of the Fourteenth Amendment, an addition which would prove to be most essential to the Constitution. Ratified in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment provided the first legal definition of citizenship in America. Finally, in 1869, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed granting suffrage to any citizen regardless of their "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." For so many years, blacks had been loyal the United States government and still received lesser rights than the white population.