The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were passed after the Civil War. While these amendments were clearly aimed at changing the relationship between the state governments and former slaves, they have also been used to provide civil rights protections based on other characteristics (i.e., being a woman) while the courts have refused to provide protection for other characteristics (i.e., class). How far should the protections of the Civil War amendments extend? If there should be limits, how would you define them?
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