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Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg address is a speech that Abraham Lincoln gave during the American Civil War at a soldier dedication ceremony. He spoke about many things, but the sentence that stuck with the world the most is that all men are created equal. This was a controversial thing to talk about at the time and changed a lot of peoples hearts coming from their president. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln changed the Reconstruction era. His death put the country into a despair. The Civil war had just ended days before his death. If he had not passed away he would have continued into his second term at rebuilding the nation. This would have changed our lives today based on the decisions he could have made during that second term. -
The 13th Amendment
This Amendment abolished slavery. It states that slavery shall only be used as a punishment for crime. This caused a lot of controversy and was a difficult amendment to pass. The work was worth it because this amendment completely changed our world and gave human rights to everyone. Without this Amendment, people of color could still be put into slavery for just being born. -
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment established citizenship at birthright. It required due process and equal protection of the law for all. It also put the federal government in the business of policing liberty. The 14th Amendment is felt by us every day. Anytime someone must go to court or deal with the law, the 14th amendment is paving the way. Citizens of the United States would be treated way different if it weren't for that amendment. -
Civil Rights act of 1875
The Civil Rights act of 1875 guarenteed all citizens, no matter what color, the right to all theaters schools and businesses. It also allowed them to have access to all accommodations. This drastically changed the way our world is today. Without it people of color would continue to be seperate from the rest of the world and have no way to defend themselves if they got into trouble. -
The First Jim Crow Law
The Jim Crow laws were state laws that were enforced after the reconstruction to keep racial segregation. These laws existed for 100 years and still effect some peoples minds today. They kept people of color in different areas of the bus, using different water fountains, and buying different foods. Those things may seem small but they made a huge impact on the way people of color were treated. Without these laws our world may have been changed for the better. -