Importance Of The 14th Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment was designed to grant citizenship to whoever was born in the United States and grant protection of civil rights to all Americans and the recently freed slaves.

The 14th Amendment was one of the most significant changes to the Constitution. The amendment contains the equal protection of the laws clause. It was added to the Constitution after the Civil War. The rules that the amendment states have been the result of several Supreme Court cases. The amendment has deeply influenced American History and the perception of equality. The Citizenship clause states that anyone born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the U.S. and their state. The Due Process law states that no state may deprive any person of life liberty or death. Perhaps the most important clause is the equal protection of the law. The equal protection of the law clause guarantees that every citizen receives the same rights,

This amendment granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed by the Thirteenth Amendment. In addition to granting citizenship, it forbids states from denying anyone "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” no matter who they were. The 14th Amendment expanded the protection of civil rights tremendously to all Americans no matter color or race and is cited in more litigations than any other amendment of the United States today. On June 22, 1866, precisely fourteen days after the senate passed the Fourteenth Amendment, President Andrew Johnson issued a message to Congress announcing that the Fourteenth Amendment had been sent to the states for ratification. Johnson voiced his negative opinion of the amendment by stating that his actions should "be considered as purely ministerial, and in no sense whatever committing the Executive to an approval or a recommendation of the amendment to the State legislatures or to the

Eric Foner explains in, “The Checkered History of the Great Fourteenth Amendment,” that in addition to providing the revolutionary act of promoting black American's freedom, the Fourteenth Amendment was one of the most critical outcomes of the Civil War because it set a precedent for the federal government to have power over state governments. The amendment represented a turning tide where the “national state” was no longer viewed as “as a threat to liberty”(Foner). For the first time in American History, the federal government truly possessed the power to act as a benevolent overseer of it's citizens. The amendment also gave the Constitution “malleability,” ensuring the voice of citizens would be incorporated into government policies(Foner).

The 13th amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. The amendment provided certainty for the legal status of former slaves and overthrew the three-fifth clause, a constitutional enshrinement of slavery. Soon after the 13th amendment many southern states passed the Black Codes, restricting African Americans’ freedom, and forced them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt. The Black Codes spurred northern outrage and helped to undermine support for Andrew Jackson’s policies on reconstruction, giving the power of reconstruction to the radical republicans in congress. By 1868 the 14th amendment was ratified, granting citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves.

I sincerely regret that an appointment of long standing...will make it out of my power to be present at the City Hall on Thursday. I feel it a positive deprivation not to be able to join in the home demonstration of joy and gratitude. The revolution wrought...by the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of The United States, is almost startling, even to me. I view it with something like amazement. It is truly vast and wonderful, and when we think through what labors, tears, treasures and precious blood it has come, we may well contemplate it with a solemn joy. Henceforth we live in a new world, breathe a new atmosphere, have a new earth beneath and a new sky above us....Equal before the Lord, equal [at] the ballot-box and in the jury-box,

DBQ Essay Did you know the 13th amendment gave African Americans their freedom from slavery. Then the 14th amendment gave them their citizenship. Finally, the 15th amendment was passed so that they had the right to vote. These amendments were passed during reconstruction. Even with these amendments, freedmen’s lives didn’t change much socially, economically, and politically throughout reconstruction.

The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) The amendments were put into place to protect the rights and civil liberties of all American citizens from the federal government. However, prior to the fourteenth amendment, there was no certainty with the constitution. The constitution did not state in a clear enough way who was protected under it and exactly what rights you had as an American Citizen. The 14th amendment was in response to the just passed thirteenth amendment, which ended slavery in all of the southern states.

After the proclamation that established the end of slavery was signed and that this could not happen again, three amendments to the Constitution were adopted to clarify what the new status meant for former slaves, descendants of Africans and other races, including some whites who had been under forced servitude. Known as the Reconstruction amendments are 13, 14 and 15 respectively, which grant equal protection before the law, give the same privileges to all citizens and grant the right to vote. Despite the amendments, there were many obstacles and challenges, from the physical liberation of all slaves, their integration into society and the development of interracial relationships.

One of the few things that needs recognition is the Declaration of Independence and our 14th Amendment. After earning our independence, slavery and segregation occurred. For almost a century, whites treated African Americans unfairly until the 13th Amendment passed, the amendment to abolish slavery. Our whole country was in chaos for many years due to unfairness and racism. We all wouldn’t be have our rights today if it wasn’t for the 14th Amendment.

The 14th amendment essentially grants citizenship to all people born in The United States. The law also states no person can be denied "equal protection of the laws. " In many states this law freed slaves. This changed because of the 14th amendment it allowed colored people to vote and voice their opinions.

Imagine a world in which The Civil War and the events after never happened. Southern states still hold slaves, there are no laws on immigration or who can become a citizen. The Civil War freed the slaves and allowed laws that dealt with citizenship and immigration to be ratified. This was what led to the creation of the three Reconstruction Amendments, which includes the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment has rich history, various meanings and applications, and can be used to shape our nation for the better today.

Second came the 14th amendment that was ratified on July 9, 1868 and granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States. The goal of this amendment was to increase the amount of people that had access to the protections of civil rights to all those classified under the law as American (“Primary Documents in American History." 14th Amendment…). Finally there was the 15th amendment which was ratified on February 3, 1870 and granted African-American men the right to vote. (“Primary Documents in American History."

The legislature abolished slavery and other forms of involuntary services in the United States. All African Americans living within the boundaries of the nation would be set free. Following the thirteenth amendment, two amendments were added to the Constitution. In 1865, the fourteenth amendment granted citizenship to all people who were born in the United States. In 1869, the fifteenth amendment guaranteed that Americans would not be denied the right to vote based on their race.

Some people may think that the 14th amendment does a poor job of protecting people’s rights. In document five it explains how on September 11, 2001,with the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, it has caused video surveillance in the United States to increase. For example the U.S has programs that use facial recognition that help match photographs of criminals faces to the criminal. Another program that we use helps prevent suicide bombers from attacking. Some people may think that prevention of terrible events reoccuring or occurring is a good thing, but using security systems everywhere may be a violation of their rights and privacy. Such as the government tracking your every move, having the threat of people spying and blackmail,