In United States constitutional history, which three amendments, often called the Reconstruction Amendments, were passed shortly after the Civil War to abolish slavery and expand civil rights?

Introduction / Context:
After the American Civil War ended in 1865, the United States faced the huge task of redefining freedom, citizenship, and voting rights. The Constitution was amended several times during this period to abolish slavery and to extend legal protections to former slaves and other citizens. These amendments are known collectively as the Reconstruction Amendments. The question asks which three amendments were passed shortly after the Civil War, a key fact for students of United States history and civics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The time period is shortly after the Civil War, during Reconstruction.
• The focus is on amendments that dealt with slavery, citizenship, and voting rights.
• The options list different groups of three amendments, some of which concern completely different topics.
• The learner is expected to recognise the set commonly referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments.

Concept / Approach:
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. The 14th Amendment defined citizenship, required equal protection of the laws, and limited the power of states to deny basic rights. The 15th Amendment stated that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. These three amendments were all adopted in the period following the Civil War and aimed at building a more equal society, at least in principle. Other amendments listed in the options deal with issues such as prohibition, women voting rights, presidential terms, and early foundational rights, which are not specifically linked to the Reconstruction period. Therefore, the correct choice is the combination of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that slavery formally ended with the 13th Amendment, adopted soon after the Civil War. 2. Remember that the 14th Amendment established birthright citizenship and required equal protection under state and federal law. 3. Note that the 15th Amendment addressed voting rights, stating that they could not be denied because of race or previous condition of servitude. 4. Recognise that these three amendments belong to the Reconstruction era and are usually grouped together in textbooks. 5. Compare the answer choices and identify the set that lists these three amendments together. 6. Select The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
For verification, learners can recall that history books often mention the Reconstruction Amendments by number. They usually say that these amendments aimed to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people and to reshape the legal structure of the United States. In contrast, the 18th, 19th, and 21st Amendments relate to prohibition and its repeal and to women voting rights; the 1st three amendments in the Bill of Rights protect freedoms such as speech and religion; and later amendments like the 20th, 22nd, and 25th concern presidential terms and succession. Since only one option lists the 13th, 14th, and 15th together, that set clearly matches the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The 10th, 11th, and 12th Amendments concern federal power, lawsuits against states, and presidential elections and were adopted before the Civil War.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Amendments belong to the Bill of Rights and cover basic civil liberties, not the specific post Civil War issues of slavery and equal citizenship.
The 18th, 19th, and 21st Amendments relate to alcohol prohibition, its repeal, and women suffrage, which came later and are not part of Reconstruction.
The 20th, 22nd, and 25th Amendments deal with presidential terms, term limits, and succession, again in the twentieth century, not right after the Civil War.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes know that the Reconstruction Amendments exist but mix up the numbers, or they may confuse them with the first ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. Another common problem is recognising individual amendments without remembering that the three important ones were passed as a group to deal with the consequences of slavery and the war. To avoid these issues, it is helpful to memorise a short phrase such as 13th ends slavery, 14th defines citizenship and equal protection, 15th protects voting rights. This simple pattern locks the three amendment numbers into memory and makes it easy to select the correct option in exam questions.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.