Omar Bennett
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1868, was a landmark in the history of civil rights in the country. It addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. This amendment came three years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, as the newly freed slaves continued to fight for their rights and face discriminatory Black Codes passed by Southern states. The 14th Amendment was bitterly contested, with Southern states being required to ratify it to regain representation in Congress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Amendment | Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) |
| Year of Ratification | 1868 |
| Year Proposed | 1866 |
| Date of Ratification | July 9, 1868 |
| Number of States Needed for Ratification | 28 out of 37 |
| Number of States that Ratified | 28 |
| Date Proposed | June 13, 1866 |
| Date Proposed to States | June 16, 1866 |
| Year Slavery Abolished | 1865 |
| Date of Declaration of Ratification | July 28, 1868 |
| Citizenship Clause | Overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not become citizens |
| Civil Rights Act of 1866 | Granted citizenship to "all persons born in the United States," aside from Native Americans and the children of foreign diplomats |
| Equal Protection Clause | Prohibited states from infringing on the civil rights of citizens |
| Due Process Clause | Prohibited all levels of government from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without substantive and procedural due process |
| Privileges or Immunities Clause | Interpreted in the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) as preventing states from impeding federal rights, such as freedom of movement |
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What You'll Learn
The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868
The Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1868, was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States. It addressed the rights of former slaves and their descendants, who had been freed by the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1865 Thirteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment, however, did not address the questions of citizenship and civil rights for these newly freed people.
The Fourteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. It was bitterly contested, and it required the defeated Confederate states to ratify it to regain representation in Congress. The Amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, which broadly defines citizenship and overrules the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that Americans descended from African slaves could not become citizens. It also includes the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, and the Equal Protection Clause.
The Citizenship Clause granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. This established the principle of birthright citizenship, meaning that anyone born in the US is automatically a citizen. This clause, however, did not apply to Native Americans, who were only granted citizenship in 1924. The Privileges or Immunities Clause was interpreted to prevent states from impeding federal rights, such as freedom of movement. The Due Process Clause builds on the Fifth Amendment, prohibiting all levels of government from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without due process. The Equal Protection Clause ensures that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection under the law.
The Fourteenth Amendment has provided a legal basis for African Americans and other groups to challenge discrimination and demand equal rights and protections. It has been at the heart of landmark Supreme Court decisions, such as Brown v. Board of Education (prohibiting racial segregation in public schools) and Loving v. Virginia (ending interracial marriage bans).
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It addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted on July 9, 1868, addressed citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. It was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified by 28 of the 37 states on July 28, 1868. The amendment was passed in the final years of the American Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction era. It was one of three Reconstruction Amendments, along with the 13th and 15th Amendments, which sought equality for emancipated slaves.
The 14th Amendment was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the Civil War. It was also a reaction to the discriminatory Black Codes passed by formerly Confederate states, which restricted the movement, employment, self-defence, and legal rights of African Americans. The amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, which broadly defines citizenship and supersedes the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which held that Americans descended from African slaves could not become American citizens. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people.
The 14th Amendment also includes the Privileges or Immunities Clause, which was written to provide congressional power to enforce the similar Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article Four of the Constitution. This clause has been interpreted as preventing states from impeding federal rights, such as the freedom of movement. Additionally, the amendment includes the Due Process Clause, which prohibits all levels of government from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without substantive and procedural due process.
The 14th Amendment has been considered one of the most consequential amendments to the Constitution, providing a legal basis for African Americans and other groups to challenge discrimination, demand equal rights and protections, and effect change. It has formed the basis for landmark Supreme Court decisions, such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which prohibited racial segregation in public schools, and Loving v. Virginia (1967), which ended interracial marriage bans.
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The amendment was passed after the Civil War
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed on July 9, 1868, was one of the three Reconstruction Amendments that came after the Civil War. It was passed three years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in December 1865. 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 Civil War.
The 14th Amendment was passed after much debate in Congress about the rights of former slaves freed by the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Republicans were concerned that southern states would infringe on the civil rights of freed slaves and use them to increase their congressional representation. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 guaranteed citizenship without regard to race, colour, or prior enslavement. However, it was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson.
The 14th Amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, which broadly defines citizenship and supersedes the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which held that Americans descended from African slaves could not become citizens. The Citizenship Clause established the principle of birthright citizenship, meaning anyone born in the US is automatically a citizen. This clause did not apply to Native Americans, who were only granted citizenship in 1924.
The 14th Amendment affirmed the citizenship of freed slaves and granted them legal protection from violations of their rights as citizens. It also contained key provisions on the definition of citizenship, the protection of civil rights, and the power of the federal government. The amendment extended the liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people, allowing them to legally claim the same constitutional rights afforded to all American citizens.
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It was one of the Reconstruction Amendments
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted on July 9, 1868, was one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The Reconstruction Amendments, or the Civil War Amendments, are the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which were adopted between 1865 and 1870. These amendments were part of the implementation of the Reconstruction of the American South following the Civil War.
The 14th Amendment, officially known as Amendment XIV, was proposed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified in 1868. It addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all persons. The amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, which broadly defines citizenship and overrules the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision that Americans descended from African slaves could not become American citizens.
The 14th Amendment served a revolutionary purpose: to define African Americans as equal citizens under the law. It provided a legal basis for African Americans and other groups to challenge discrimination, demand equal rights and protections, and effect change. This amendment was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the Civil War, and its enactment was bitterly contested.
The Reconstruction Amendments were intended to guarantee the freedom of the formerly enslaved, grant them certain civil rights, and protect them and all citizens of the United States from discrimination. They abolished slavery, provided equal protection of the law for all citizens, and banned racial discrimination in voting. The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, colour, or previous servitude.
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The amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted on July 9, 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law at all levels of government. The amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, and Equal Protection Clause.
The Citizenship Clause, the first sentence of the 14th Amendment, broadly defines citizenship. 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 clause reversed the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, which held that Americans descended from African slaves could not become American citizens. The Citizenship Clause constitutionalized the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guaranteed citizenship regardless of race, colour, or prior enslavement.
The Citizenship Clause established the principle of birthright citizenship, meaning anyone born in the US is automatically a citizen. This clause did not apply to Native Americans, who were not legally declared US citizens until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. The 14th Amendment's framers sought to entrench this principle in the Constitution to prevent it from being struck down by the Supreme Court or repealed by a future Congress.
The Citizenship Clause has been interpreted as a repudiation of racist citizenship determinations by individual states, making Americans citizens of the nation first and foremost. It established a simple national rule: if you are born in America, you are a US citizen. This aspect of the clause also clarifies that American citizenship brings a set of fundamental "privileges or immunities" protected against abuses by both the federal government and one's own state.
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Frequently asked questions
The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people.
The Fourteenth Amendment was passed to address issues affecting freed slaves following the American Civil War. It was passed as one of the Reconstruction Amendments to define African Americans as equal citizens under the law and guarantee equal civil and legal rights.
The Citizenship Clause was included in the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment. It broadly defines 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 clause overruled the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which held that Americans descended from African slaves could not become American citizens.
