After the Civil War, the federal government began to extend civil rights to African Americans by

After the Civil War, the federal government adopted the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. These abolished slavery, established citizenship and equal protection, and protected African American men’s right to vote. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued during the war and did not itself grant these broader constitutional rights.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.