Malcolm Rivera
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, was one of the Reconstruction Amendments that extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people and guaranteed equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government, forbidding states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law and denying anyone within a state's jurisdiction equal protection under the law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Due Process | Protects citizens from arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property by the government outside of the legal process |
| Equal Protection | Guarantees all people will be treated similarly under the law and prevents states from denying any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws |
| Citizenship Rights | Defines citizenship and ensures that all persons born or naturalized in the US are citizens and citizens of the state in which they reside |
| Privileges and Immunities | Prohibits states from abridging the privileges and immunities of US citizens |
| Apportionment of Representatives | Provides for the appointment of representatives based on population, with immigrants being counted as whole persons for representation purposes |
| Disqualification of Officers | Disqualifies any person who has taken an oath to support the Constitution but later engages in insurrection or rebellion or gives aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States from holding any office |
| Enforcement | Empowers Congress to enforce the article through appropriate legislation |
| Overrules Supreme Court | Reverses the Supreme Court decisions in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, which denied citizenship to African Americans |
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What You'll Learn
- The Fourteenth Amendment extended rights to formerly enslaved people
- It also granted citizenship to All persons born or naturalized in the United States
- The Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law
- It forbids states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
- The Fourteenth Amendment upholds national debt and exempts federal debt responsibility for Confederate debts
The Fourteenth Amendment extended rights to formerly enslaved people
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It was one of the Reconstruction Amendments following the Civil War, guaranteeing equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which stated that African Americans could not become citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. This was a significant provision, as it brought formerly enslaved people under the protection of the law, ensuring they could not be deprived of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law".
Another key provision of the Fourteenth Amendment was its protection of voting rights. It stated that if any male citizen over the age of 21 was denied the right to vote, the basis of representation for that state would be reduced proportionally. This provision was later extended by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
The Fourteenth Amendment also addressed representation in Congress, stating that the number of representatives apportioned to each state would be based on the "whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed." This replaced the Three-Fifths Compromise, which had counted each slave as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes.
The Fourteenth Amendment is considered one of the most consequential amendments to the Constitution. It has been frequently litigated, forming the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education, which prohibited racial segregation in public schools, and Loving v. Virginia, which ended interracial marriage bans.
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It also granted citizenship to All persons born or naturalized in the United States
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It was one of the three Reconstruction Amendments proposed following the Civil War to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. It grants citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people and African Americans. This was a major provision of the amendment, as it included them under the umbrella phrase "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." The Citizenship Clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens. It also nullified the section of the Constitution that apportioned representation in the House of Representatives based on a formula that counted each slave as three-fifths of a person.
The Fourteenth Amendment states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." This means that anyone born in the United States or who has become a naturalized citizen is a citizen of the country and of the state in which they reside. This provision is known as the Citizenship Clause. The amendment also includes what is known as the Privileges or Immunities Clause, which states that no state shall make or enforce any law that abridges the privileges or immunities of US citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment has been one of the most consequential amendments to the Constitution. It has been frequently litigated, particularly its first section, which has been the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions. These include Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), Bush v. Gore (election recounts), and Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage bans). The amendment also granted Congress the power to enforce it, leading to the passage of other landmark legislation in the 20th century, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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The Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. The amendment was proposed in the aftermath of the American Civil War, as part of the Reconstruction program to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens. It was also intended to nationalize the Bill of Rights, making it binding upon the states.
The Fourteenth Amendment's most frequently litigated phrase is "equal protection of the laws," which has been central to a wide variety of landmark cases, including Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination in public schools), Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage bans), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), and Bush v. Gore (election recounts). The amendment states that no state shall make or enforce any law that abridges the privileges or immunities of US citizens, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
Section 1 of the amendment formally defines US citizenship, stating that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." This overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which had ruled that African Americans could not become citizens. It also granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people, countering the discriminatory Black Codes of southern states.
The Fourteenth Amendment also addresses representation in Congress, stating that representatives shall be apportioned among the states according to their respective numbers, excluding untaxed Indians. It further specifies that the right to vote cannot be denied to male citizens over 21 years of age, except in cases of participation in rebellion or other crimes.
The amendment has been considered one of the most consequential amendments to the US Constitution, extending liberties and rights to formerly enslaved people and forming the basis for significant Supreme Court decisions that have shaped US history.
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It forbids states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It was one of the Reconstruction Amendments, which aimed to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens following the Civil War.
The Fourteenth Amendment addresses many aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. It states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside". This overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which ruled that African Americans could not become citizens.
One of the most important provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment is its protection of citizens' rights. It states that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States". This includes the right to life, liberty, and property, which the state cannot deprive any person of without due process of law. In other words, the government must follow fair procedures before it can punish a person, take their property, or infringe on their freedom.
The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies the Fifth Amendment's similar clause to state governments. This means that both the federal government and state governments must provide due process of law before depriving someone of life, liberty, or property.
The Fourteenth Amendment's protection of citizens' rights has been frequently litigated in landmark Supreme Court cases. For example, in Brown v. Board of Education, the Court used the Fourteenth Amendment to prohibit racial segregation in public schools. In Loving v. Virginia, the Court ended interracial marriage bans, and in Roe v. Wade, it recognized reproductive rights.
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The Fourteenth Amendment upholds national debt and exempts federal debt responsibility for Confederate debts
The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It was one of the three Reconstruction Amendments enacted following the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The Fourteenth Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people, guaranteeing that newly emancipated citizens enjoyed the same substantial rights, equal protection, and due process as other citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment's Public Debt Clause, found in Section 4, upholds the national debt and explicitly exempts the federal government and state governments from any responsibility for the debts incurred by the Confederate States of America. The clause states:
> "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for the payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void."
The Public Debt Clause was designed to protect the victories of the Civil War and prohibit the use of federal money to pay the Confederacy's war debts or compensate former slaveowners for their losses following the Emancipation Proclamation. It also served to prevent representatives from former Confederate states from attempting to repay their war debts.
The Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted and litigated extensively, particularly in landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Loving v. Virginia (1967), and Roe v. Wade (1973). Despite its significance, the amendment initially failed to extend the Bill of Rights to the states or effectively protect the rights of Black citizens.
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Frequently asked questions
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted in 1868. It addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government.
The Fourteenth Amendment was passed to extend liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people and to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens.
The Citizenship Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." This clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens.
The Due Process Clause states that no state shall deprive any person of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This clause applies the Fifth Amendment's similar clause to state governments.
The Equal Protection Clause states that no state shall "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This clause has been used as the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination) and Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage bans).
