This inquiry focuses on the rights of citizenship that African Americans were denied following Reconstruction. Though the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed in order to guarantee citizenship rights to freedmen, many states passed laws that limited these rights. In this inquiry, students will examine ways rights of citizenship were denied by many states and how citizens attempted to secure those rights. The tasks completed for each supporting question will help students to consider who grants citizenship rights and how they are expanded. The first task will help students to understand that the U.S. Constitution guarantees rights of citizenship, while the second task will help students to understand how states can limit those rights. The final task will help students to investigate the way citizenship can be change agents in the fight to ensure equal rights for all.
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