Question

How did the Reconstruction amendments change the role of government? a. The states gained protection from an overbearing national government. b. The presidents who immediately followed Lincoln became even more powerful and active than he had been during the Civil War. c. It set the stage for the federal government to be the protector of individual freedoms. d. The Supreme Court’s role would be diminished. e. The state governments became the only entity that could award citizenship.

Answer 1

The Reconstruction amendments, including the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, expanded the federal government's role as the protector of individual freedoms and established significant civil rights, particularly for African Americans after the Civil War.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Reconstruction amendments significantly changed the role of government in the United States. Specifically, c. It set the stage for the federal government to be the protector of individual freedoms. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, known collectively as the Reconstruction Amendments, were passed after the Civil War to address issues related to former slaves and to establish certain civil rights.

• The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
• The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves, and promised "equal protection of the laws".
• The 15th Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

These amendments expanded the role of the federal government in protecting the rights of individuals, especially the rights of African Americans after the Civil War. The emphasis on individual freedoms and equal protection under the law marked a shift from a system that had previously allowed states a great deal of leeway in denying such rights.

Answer 2

d. The Supreme Court’s role would be diminished.

Step-by-step explanation:

The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments are the amendments adopted by the constitution of the United States and called reconstruction amendments because they were adopted at the time of reconstruction following the civil war. These amendments abolished slavery, gave equal rights to all citizens and prohibits discrimination of the voting rights. However, the state laws like Jim Crow laws successively eroded the spirit of the Constitution and the Supreme Court not only failed to restrict these laws but sometimes itself supported these decisions.