In a quote from the previous governor of Virginia, Henry Wise, he states: “The principle of slavery is a leveling principle; He is in favor of equality. By overthrowing slavery, with the same blow you would overthrow the great democratic principle of equality among men." This shows that the mindset of American leaders before the Civil War was unable to imagine a nation without slavery. The nation debated slavery for years. States began abolishing slavery on a statewide basis, and after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, seven Southern states seceded from the Union. The reason for this was that they feared that Lincoln would eliminate slavery in all states of the Union. The Civil War was fought on the basis that fundamental rights were being taken away by the federal government, so states had the right to secede. Lincoln considered it an act of rebellion by the northern states, three Reconstruction amendments were passed. These included the 13th and 15th Amendments. The 13th Amendment was the official abolition of slavery in America. This amendment changed the course of America as it developed new social structures that we still follow today. African Americans still did not enjoy the same rights as today due to Jim Crow legislation that prevented any state from granting certain rights to African Americans until the board of Brown V in the 1950s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Fourteenth Amendment is made up of 3 main parts. These are the due process clause, the equal protection clause and the privileges and immunities clause. The due process clause gives everyone the right to due process in any legal matter. The Equal Protection Clause allows everyone to be treated equally under every law. The Privileges and Immunities Clause ensured that every citizen in the United States obtained all the rights listed in the Bill of Rights. This is demonstrated in the court case Brown V. Board of education of Topeka. This case involved the segregation of schools by race. The Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional because of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fifteenth Amendment concerns voting rights. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the disenfranchisement of any person because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The Fifteenth Amendment also had another very important effect, especially for former slaves. It gave anyone born in the United States official U.S. citizenship. Under the Doctrine of Incorporation, state governments are held to the same standard as the federal government in protecting constitutional rights. this means that if the federal government must protect the rights of a group, the state government must also do so. in the 1869 slaughterhouse cases, one company was granted a partial monopoly to slaughter, raise, and sell animals on selected property. Butchers who disagreed with this new law claimed they were being denied due process, equal protection, dental rights, and immunities. they were rejected because all their claims fell short. Due process was followed in drafting the law, in the Constitution they had no right to slaughter and were equally protected in court. due to the case, the government was changed. Some state laws were now above federal laws, such as limiting ownership to a certain use. this to his.