The fourteenth amendment: due process and equal protection, History

Assignment Help:

The Fourteenth Amendment: Due Process and Equal Protection

In 1866, in an effort to protect the rights of black Southerners after the Civil War, Republican legislators proposed the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1868. This amendment is among the most important provisions ever added to the Constitution, and has powerfully shaped the nation's constitutional history since 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment is the first explicit statement in the U.S. Constitution regarding the definition of American citizenship. The Amendment's first section declares that:

 

"All persons were born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction there of, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No state shall make any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States; 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."

 

The Fourteenth Amendment places the federal government in the position of guaranteeing citizens' rights by protecting them against state laws that violate their rights. (In the 1830s, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, and did not place limits on the powers of state governments.) This amendment decisively tilted the balance of power in the U.S. away from the separate states toward the national government.

 


Related Discussions:- The fourteenth amendment: due process and equal protection

Explain union army during the first year of the war, 1. What motivated sold...

1. What motivated soldiers to volunteer to fight in the Union Army during the first year of the war? 2. What motivated soldiers to volunteer to fight in the Confederate Army dur

Discuss the social and ecological interaction, Discuss the social and ecolo...

Discuss the social and ecological interaction of irrigated rice farming in southeast asia and its impact on social and political systems in southeast asia

American society, The following is question from my study guide for my Fina...

The following is question from my study guide for my Final Exam: Many people have argued that the wars of the Twentieth Century have transformed American society, providing m

Justice of the vietnam war in that context, The Vietnam War was a counterin...

The Vietnam War was a counterinsurgency that involved us in guerilla warfare that was similar, in some ways, to what we face in Afghanistan today. But the way the Vietnam War was c

The freedom train, The Freedom Train a) was a traveling exhibition of ov...

The Freedom Train a) was a traveling exhibition of over 100 historical documents b) was the first desegregated passenger train in the South c) was what union sympathizers

Describe life in the lowell textile factories, Describe life in the Lowell ...

Describe life in the Lowell textile factories. What do these factories represent?

In what ways did notion about fashion and etiquette, In What ways did notio...

In What ways did notion about fashion and etiquette evolve from 1820 to 1860? (Use Confidence Men and Painted Women!) In what wasy did rock n roll both reflect and shape post-wo

Immigrant greeks, Immigrant Greeks formed a new social elite immediately up...

Immigrant Greeks formed a new social elite immediately upon arriving in various countries created an divide between them and the local population. The Zeno were one of these immigr

Who was william penn? what affects did he have on america, Who was William ...

Who was William Penn? What affects did he have on America? Why did slavery become central to the farming economy of the Southern Colonies but not to the Middle Colonies?

Explain the asian migration hypothesis, Explain the "Asian Migration Hypoth...

Explain the "Asian Migration Hypothesis" as detailed in the text. According to this theory, how did natives gradually spread over the continent in subsequent migrations?

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd