Eleanor Finch
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law, was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. The amendment was adopted on July 28, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, two years after the Civil War. It was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the war, and its enactment was bitterly contested.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | July 9, 1868 |
| Purpose | To grant citizenship and equal protection under the law to formerly enslaved people |
| Key Provisions | Citizenship, Due Process, Equal Protection |
| Ratification | Ratified on July 28, 1868, by the required three-fourths of the states |
| Impact | Expanded civil rights and protections for African Americans and other minority groups |
| Significance | Established the basis for legal challenges to discriminatory laws and practices |
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What You'll Learn
The 14th Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868
On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. It was adopted as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, which were a series of amendments passed in the post-Civil War era. The Reconstruction Amendments aimed to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment was first passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and submitted to the states on June 16, 1866. It was ratified on July 9, 1868, when it was declared that the necessary 28 of the 37 states had ratified it. It was officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution on July 28, 1868, when Secretary of State William Seward issued a proclamation certifying the amendment.
The Fourteenth Amendment is considered one of the most consequential amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. The amendment grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. It also states that "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."
Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment formally defines United States citizenship and protects various civil rights from being abridged or denied by any state law or state action. It was primarily written by Representative John Bingham and is the most frequently litigated part of the amendment. The Citizenship Clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment also had other important provisions. It required that seats in the House of Representatives be determined by a total population count and forbade Confederate loyalists from holding political and military office. In addition, it excused debts incurred by the federal and state governments in the Civil War.
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It extended rights to formerly enslaved people
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
Following the Civil War, Congress submitted three amendments to the states as part of its Reconstruction program. The aim was to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to Black citizens. The 14th Amendment was one of these amendments.
A major provision of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to "All persons born or naturalized in the United States". This granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people and overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens. The Citizenship Clause constitutionalized the Civil Rights Act of 1866's grant of citizenship to all born within the United States, except the children of foreign diplomats.
The 14th Amendment also included the statement that "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This meant that the right to due process of law and equal protection of the law now applied to both the federal and state governments.
While the 14th Amendment was a significant step towards extending rights to formerly enslaved people, it did not fully succeed in this aim. The Amendment failed to protect the rights of Black citizens, and citizens had to petition and initiate court cases to guard their rights. The struggle for equal rights continued, and it wasn't until the 20th century that the arguments and dissenting opinions put forward during Reconstruction led to meaningful change.
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It addressed citizenship rights
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and it remains one of the most significant constitutional amendments in American history, particularly for its impact on citizenship rights and civil liberties. The amendment was proposed and adopted in the aftermath of the American Civil War, during the Reconstruction Era, to guarantee citizenship and equal protection under the law to formerly enslaved people.
The Citizenship Clause, which is the first section of the 14th Amendment, explicitly addressed citizenship rights. It states:
> "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 established a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Supreme Court's controversial Dred Scott decision of 1857, which had denied citizenship to African Americans, whether enslaved or free. The 14th Amendment's citizenship provision was intentionally sweeping, ensuring that birthright citizenship would be guaranteed to virtually everyone born on US soil, regardless of race, and that this right could not be restricted by state laws or local practices.
The amendment also addressed the issue of due process and equal protection under the law for all citizens. The Due Process Clause, found in the same section, states that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This clause has been pivotal in expanding individual rights and liberties, as it requires that all citizens be treated fairly and equally under the law, and that their fundamental rights be protected.
Additionally, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits states from denying "to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This clause has been central to many landmark civil rights cases, ensuring that state laws do not discriminate against individuals or groups based on certain characteristics, such as race, gender, or national origin.
In sum, the 14th Amendment's focus on citizenship rights transformed the legal landscape of the United States, providing a constitutional foundation for equal rights and protections under the law, regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. Its impact continues to be felt today through its influence on civil rights legislation and court rulings that uphold the rights of all Americans.
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It was part of the Reconstruction Amendments
The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The Reconstruction Amendments were adopted between 1865 and 1870, the five years immediately following the American Civil War. They were part of a large movement to reconstruct the United States that followed the Civil War.
The Reconstruction Amendments, or the Civil War Amendments, are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except for those duly convicted of a crime. The Fourteenth Amendment addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. It was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the Civil War, and its enactment was bitterly contested. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited discrimination in voting rights based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
The Fourteenth Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It formally defines United States citizenship and protects various civil rights from being abridged or denied by any state law or state action. The Citizenship Clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens.
The Fourteenth Amendment was part of the Reconstruction Amendments because it was adopted during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, and it addressed issues related to citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for formerly enslaved people. It was also part of a larger movement to reconstruct the United States and guarantee the freedom and civil rights of formerly enslaved people.
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It is the most frequently litigated amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868. It is considered one of the most consequential amendments, addressing citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government.
The Fourteenth Amendment is the most frequently litigated amendment, with Section 1 being the most frequently litigated part. The "equal protection of the laws" clause has been at the heart of many landmark cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Bush v. Gore, and Reed v. Reed. The Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, and Equal Protection Clause are all included in the first section.
The Citizenship Clause, part of Section 1, defines citizenship and protects civil rights, ensuring that no state can abridge or deny them. This clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which stated that African Americans could not become citizens. The Due Process Clause, also part of Section 1, applies the Fifth Amendment's protections to state governments, safeguarding citizens against arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property.
The Privileges or Immunities Clause, another component of Section 1, was interpreted in the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) to prevent states from impeding federal rights, such as freedom of movement. However, in Minor v. Happersett (1875), the Supreme Court ruled that voting was not among the rights protected by this clause, as Section 2 indicated that the Fourteenth Amendment recognised only the voting rights of male citizens aged 21 and older.
The Fourteenth Amendment has been central to many Supreme Court cases, including Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), where the Court held that the amendment's historical context of countering discriminatory Black Codes in southern states must be considered in its interpretation. In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the Equal Protection Clause, a decision that was later challenged through civil rights litigation by groups like the NAACP, leading to the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.
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Frequently asked questions
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was enacted on July 9, 1868.
The 14th Amendment addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. It was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the American Civil War.
The 14th Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. It also granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," and forbade states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law."
