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13th Amendment. Slavery Abolished
The Emancipation Proclamation only ended slavery in the Southern rebel states and President Lincoln was afraid it could become a problem again some day. The 13th Amendment ended slavery everywhere in the United States. -
14th Amendment. Citizenship to People Born in the U.S.
The 14th Amendment defines what it means to be a U.S.citizen and protects certain rights of all people. Especially at the time of 1868, it gave African Americans the right to citizenship. Before that time, African Americans could not become citizens. -
15th Amendment. Voting Rights
This amendment was ratified in 1870 and said that no citizen's vote could be taken away because of race or color or because he was once a slave. This amendment was a start in giving African Americans full equality with whites. -
19th Amendment. Women's Suffrage.
After this amendment was ratified, all women in the U.S. were allowed to vote. Before this, only men could vote, but women were becoming better educated. They were finally able to vote, 72 years after men started voting. -
21st Amendment. Repeal of 18th Amendment (Prohibition)
This amendment ended prohibition in the U.S.. (Prohibition had made selling alcohol illegal.) The Prohibition was not working and it was decided that it should be repealed, but repealing it did not make it completely legal throughout the entire country. Many states did, and still do, have some form of "dry laws", which are anti-alcohol laws. -
22nd Amendment. Presidential Term Limits.
This amendment limits a president to two terms in office. George Washington started the tradition of serving for two four-year terms. President Franklin Roosevelt, who served for four terms,was the first one to break this tradition. Many people felt like he has served too long. Because of this, this amendment was ratified in 1951. -
26th Amendment. Voting Age Set to 18 Years.
This amendment gave people 18 to 20 years, and beyond, the right to vote. The national age had been 21. It was decided that if 18 -year-olds are old enough to join the military, they are old enough to vote for the nation's leaders. This amendment was ratified in only four months.