Rights of Citizens

American citizens expect to enjoy all the rights and freedoms listed in the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and they expect the U.S. government to protect them and their rights. Citizens are guaranteed freedom of expression and religion, and the protections afforded to those accused of crimes. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, was the first important statement regarding American citizenship in the Constitution. It guarantees all citizens due process and equal treatment under the laws, and placed the federal government in the position of protecting citizens' rights against violations within the separate states. Although the original Constitution does not specifically discuss a right to vote, this right has always been central to American citizenship, and the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-sixth Amendments extended this right to black men, to women, and to 18-year olds, respectively. In recent decades, the Supreme Court has clearly upheld the right to vote, and the important principle of "one person, one vote."