14th Amendment Research Paper

The 14th amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1868, stands as an important moment in American legal history. Its far reaching implications have significantly shaped the landscape of rights and liberties, ushering in a new era of constitutional development. This essay explores the monumental impact of the 14th amendment on the evolution of rights and liberties in the United States. The key to understanding the 14th amendment is the historical context in which it started. Ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War, the amendment sought to address the legacy of slavery and ensure the protection of fundamental rights for all citizens, regardless of race or color. It aims to secure the promises of freedom and equality, prioritized in the constitution and to provide a legal framework for the reconstruction of the nation. A few of the impacts of the …show more content…
In the end, the court ruled in favor of Ferguson; but years later in 1954, racial segregation was overturned by the supreme court in the Brown v. Board of education case. Also, gender equality was greatly improved by the 14th amendment. An example of this is the Reed v. Reed case from Idaho, “the Supreme Court found that in Idaho state law, giving automatic preference to men, to administer the estate of a deceased person who had not named an administrator, who was not a rational means to fulfill a legitimate government interest and using the ordinary scrutiny test established in an 1873 Bradwell case, the court ruled this discriminatory treatment of women was unconstitutional.” (Harrison Harris Deardorff 173). It set an important precedent for gender equality under the law and opened the door for future legal challenges to gender-based discrimination. Then, affirmative action goes along with the Equal Protection Clause. The main idea of affirmative action is that groups of underrepresented people (education/ employment) get help through programs or policies being

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