The 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution. The Reconstruction Acts also granted Black men in southern states the right to vote and hold elected office.Following the end of the Civil War, two constitutional provisions were ratified to protect the right of African Americans to vote. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) has unsuccessfully sponsored a law that aims to deny American citizenship to children born in the United States of non-citizen parents. The 13th Amendment emancipated enslaved African Americans and the 14th promised equal protection under the laws. The Department of City Planning is proposing legislation to ensure the City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code complies with the federal Fair Housing Act. 1836. 1837. John Wesley AME Zion Church is founded in the Hill District. Pennsylvania disenfranchises African Americans. 1838. Black Hills requests that the Agreements be made effective on October 14, 1998. The Court of Appeals reversed, distinguishing Lynch v.