What did the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments establish?

• A. 13th abolished slavery; 14th defined citizenship and equal protection; 15th protected voting rights regardless of race
• B. They created the Supreme Court
• C. They established the Bill of Rights
• D. They granted women the right to vote

Answer: (A)

After the Civil War, these amendments aim to transform citizenship and rights in the country. The 13th Amendment ends slavery in the United States, with a narrow exception for punishment for crime. The 14th Amendment defines who is a citizen and guarantees equal protection under the law and due process, so the rights of newly freed people are recognized and protected. The 15th Amendment prohibits denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, opening the ballot to Black men. Taken together, they broaden who has rights and how those rights are protected, especially for formerly enslaved people. They aren’t about creating the Supreme Court or establishing the Bill of Rights (that had happened earlier), and they don’t address women’s suffrage, which came with the 19th Amendment later.