If you were a government leader at the end of the Civil War, what problem do you think you would have needed to solve first?
• Is the problem social, political or economic?
• Who do you think should direct the the efforts to solve this problem? Why them?
• Use evidence from the lesson to support your claim.
BIUS
Three key amendments to the Constitution adopted shortly after the war — abolishing slavery, guaranteeing equal protection and giving African Americans the right to vote — further cemented federal power.