Omar Bennett
The US Constitution has been amended several times to protect the rights of African Americans. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, was designed to assure African Americans the enjoyment of all the civil rights enjoyed by white persons, and to give them the protection of the government in that enjoyment. The 15th Amendment, enforced by the Voting Rights Act in 1965, protects African Americans' right to vote.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Voting rights | The 15th Amendment protects the right to vote for African Americans |
| Civil rights | The 14th Amendment ensures that African Americans can enjoy the same civil rights as white people |
| Citizenship | The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to African Americans |
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What You'll Learn
The Fourteenth Amendment
In Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), the Supreme Court clarified that the meaning of "person" and "within its jurisdiction" in the Equal Protection Clause would not be limited to discrimination against African Americans, but would extend to other races, colours, and nationalities.
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The Voting Rights Act
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, passed in 1868, was designed to give African Americans the same rights as white people, including the right to vote. The Amendment states that African Americans could now legally claim the same constitutional rights afforded to all American citizens. This included the right to hold elected office.
The 14th Amendment also established new constitutions guaranteeing equal rights and protections to African Americans. The Reconstruction Acts, passed in 1867, placed former Confederate states under military rule until they ratified the 14th Amendment. Once African Americans were able to participate in the political process, the 14th Amendment gained the final votes it needed in the South.
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Civil rights
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was designed to ensure that African Americans could enjoy the same civil rights as white Americans. It gave citizenship and the privileges of citizenship to people of colour, and denied states the power to withhold equal protection of the laws.
The 14th Amendment was passed in 1868, after Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts in 1867. These acts placed former Confederate states under military rule until they ratified the 14th Amendment and established new constitutions guaranteeing equal rights and protections to African Americans. The Reconstruction Acts also granted Black men in southern states the right to vote and hold elected office.
The 14th Amendment was further enforced by the Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress in 1965 to protect African Americans' right to vote after the violent suppression of civil rights activists in places like Selma and Alabama.
The Supreme Court has clarified that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment extends beyond discrimination against African Americans, and would also protect legal aliens in the United States, regardless of race, colour, or nationality.
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The Equal Protection Clause
The Fourteenth Amendment was designed to assure the African American race the enjoyment of all the civil rights enjoyed by white persons and to give them the protection of the general government in that enjoyment. It not only gave citizenship and the privileges of citizenship to persons of colour, but it also denied to any state the power to withhold from them the equal protection of the laws. This meant that any state law that discriminated against African Americans was void.
Although the promises of the Fourteenth Amendment have not always been upheld, it has provided African Americans and other groups in society with a legal basis to challenge discrimination, demand equal rights and protections, and effect change.
Despite the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, African Americans were still systematically turned away from many state polling places. Even after Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, states still found ways to prevent black men from voting. It wasn't until 1965, after the violent suppression of civil rights activists in places like Selma and Alabama, that Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment and protect African Americans' right to vote.
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The Reconstruction Acts
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was designed to assure the enjoyment of civil rights to African Americans. It not only gave citizenship and the privileges of citizenship to persons of colour, but it also denied to any state the power to withhold from them the equal protection of the laws. The Fourteenth Amendment was a significant step forward in the struggle for racial equality in the United States, and it extended the protections of the Constitution to all persons within its jurisdiction, regardless of race, colour, or nationality.
Overall, the Reconstruction Acts were a critical component of the effort to protect the rights of African Americans and ensure their equal treatment under the law. By enforcing the Fourteenth Amendment and granting Black men the right to vote, the Acts helped to lay the foundation for a more just and equitable society in the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was designed to assure African Americans the enjoyment of all the civil rights enjoyed by white persons.
The 14th Amendment denies any state the power to withhold from African Americans the equal protection of the laws, and authorises Congress to enforce its provisions by appropriate legislation.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to enforce the 15th Amendment and protect African Americans' right to vote.
