Selected Amendments after the Bill of Rights that extend the rights, power, and freedom of Americans

2. 13th Amendment: Abolishes slavery
14th Amendment: Equal Protection
15th Amendment: Extended suffrage to
former slaves
 Added to the Constitution after the Civil
War
 Attempted to settle disputes about the
rights of former slaves and their
descendants

3.  Protection against slavery
› Any form of slavery or forced labor is
outlawed and is criminally punishable.

4.  Equal Protection Amendment
1. Protection Against Discrimination under
the law
› After defining citizenship as anyone “born or
naturalized in the United States,” it
guarantees everyone meeting this criterion to
have “equal protection of the laws.”
2. Protection from the States
› States are required to defend and protect
citizens natural rights as vigilantly as the
national government

5.  Right to Vote for All Citizens
› Suffrage is guaranteed to all citizens
regardless of “race”, “color”, or “former
condition of servitude.”
 Vocabulary:
1. Suffrage
 the right to vote

6.  Direct Election of Senators
› Overturns the provision of Article I where
state legislatures were to choose Senators
from that state. Senators would now be
elected by a popular vote of each state’s
population.
 Vocabulary
1. Direct Election:
 when a straight popular vote determines
the “winner”

7.  Right to Vote for Women
› Suffrage is guaranteed to women who had
been denied this right by state laws.

8.  Right to vote for District of
Columbia in National Elections
› Since Washington, D.C. is not in a
state, it’s citizens did not have the right to
vote in national elections.
Washington, D.C. now has 3 Electoral
Votes when choosing the President.

9.  Abolition of Poll Taxes
› States avoided the 15th Amendment by
requiring people to pay a fee in order to
vote. Those who could not afford it could
not vote. Typically, this was African-
Americans.
 Vocabulary
1. Abolish:
 To eliminate

10.  Suffrage Extended to age 18
› Eighteen becomes the legal voting age for
all those who meet the citizenship
requirements.