The Reconstruction Amendments are the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution. They were passed after the end of the Civil War. In US history the period between 1865-1877 is called Reconstruction. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment gave all people born in the US the right to citizenship. The 15th Amendment gave male Black Americans the right to vote; however, Southern states continued to use discriminatory laws such as poll taxes, literacy tests and physical terror to deprive African Americans of their right to vote. It was not until 1965 that the federal government fully enforced the 15th Amendment. At the end of class, we spent few minutes on current events. The Mauana Loa volcano in Hawaii continues to substantially erupt. Maybe Hawaii isn't an optimal holiday break destination this year! We also looked at a year-end update on the economy. Finally, why are some groups of people now more likely to drop out of the workforce, and how have trends changed compared to pre-pandemic?