Constitutional Amendments in United States Essay

Constitutional Amendments in United States - Essay Example Analysts have observed that Thirteenth Amended influenced the political structure of the United States because it gave the Congress the authority to institute legislation, which would prohibit slave trade. The historical ruling of the Supreme Court in 1857 had indicated that Congress had no power to regulate slavery (Bardes, et.al. 2011). The Thirteenth Amendment allowed the Congress to take additional measures against ten states that had rebelled against abolition of slavery. Evidently, President Lincoln declaration had instigated uproar from these ten states that did not accept the move to abolish slave trade. Historians have argued that Thirteenth Amendment provided an opportunity for fifteenth and Fourteenth amendments, which influenced the freedom of freed slaves. The amendment influenced the social structure because it gave the slaves the rights to be citizens, and share equal rights as the blacks. However, history indicates that segregation in the American society at that time was rampant; whites had more rights than the blacks (Bardes, et.al. 2011). It is arguable that public opinion and the law might not in alignment in every situation. This indicated that social structures were a long distance to achieve. Economic structures of United States automatically changed because slaves could no longer work in agricultural farms. Farm owners registered low profits; Africans had the opportunity to set their own enterprises. Sixteenth Amendment of the US constitution in 1913 gave the federal government authority to influence taxes levied (Milakovich & Gordon, 2008). This amendment was in response to Supreme Court ruling, which adduced that federal government had no powers to in a specific area to withhold taxes. Taking a political angle towards this amendment, it is evident that the government gained more power. Department charged with taxes in the US has a growing number of staffs following this amendment. The amendment influenced the social structure because many people tried to look for ways to avoid paying taxes. Many people changed their spending attitudes and sought ways to shelter the income. The public became aggressive to know how the government spent their money. Evidently, the government channeled federal taxes to support education, social programs that include healthcare, security, and public projects among others (Milakovich & Gordon, 2008). The taxes levied from citizens contributed towards social growth of the nation. In the economic sector, the amendment led to changes in banking laws. In addition, people got the legal opportunity to keep their earnings in government bonds, retirement benefits, and saving account for Medicare (Wilson, 2011). Corporations got the opportunity to bank their money in foreign banks and lobby for tax holidays by citing various