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The Three Reconstruction Amendments

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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. The countless reasons and events leading up to the creation of The Fourteenth Amendment establish an immense historical background that shows how very necessary this change was. The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified …show more content…

It has been used in many different court cases and to define the rights of US citizens. The original meanings of The Fourteenth Amendment was to give slaves the right to become citizens and to restrain state governments from abridging the rights of former slaves after the Civil War. The amendment evolved from this as time progressed and as the United States changed. It is now used to define citizen rights, grant citizenship to the free people and guarantee that all people are entitled to the protections of due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment has become one of the most heavily litigated sections of the Constitution. It has been used to protect virtually all of the rights granted in the Bill of Rights. Certain clauses have their own meaning, such as the Due Process clause, which enabled states to make their own laws and the Equal Protection clause which orders all individuals to be treated as equals. The Fourteenth Amendment has many meanings, yet it has other, overlooked powers that can be put into use …show more content…

The Fourteenth Amendment has 4 sections that have been in use since the Civil War. The first section is the most important and most discussed. It guarantees citizenship to any and all persons born or naturalized in the United States. It ensures any person 's “life, liberty, or property” will not be denied without due process.” This section defines citizenship, who can become a citizen of the United States and how. This includes slaves, which is why it was so important in 1868 after the Civil War. But today, it also defines citizenship in immigrants and gives them the right to live and work in the US. If we didn’t have this amendment, we would not be able to experience the cultures of other countries, and we would not be known as “the melting pot” of culture we are today. With the power of the Fourteenth Amendment, we can define what makes a citizen, prevent anyone who took an oath against or conspired against the United States from holding any position of office in out government, allow states to make and change laws if necessary, and ensure that citizen cannot have the right to “life, liberty, and property” taken away from them without due

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