The Reconstruction era in the United States was a time of rebuilding the country after a long civil war. The amendments (known as reconstruction amendments, were passed during the reconstruction era between 1865-1877) were a very big part of reconstruction. The thirteenth amendment freed the slaves, but until the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were passed, the slaves didn't have the same rights as white people. There was a lot of racism during this time. Most of the people working for the government were white, so the slaves didn't get to have anyone represent them in the government. This leads on to many different topics, such as black communities, black government leadership places, and many other things. We are going to stay on topic though, just with the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.