Essay On The 14th Amendment

Words: 669

Pages: 3

Open Document

In a war that simply wanted to contain the expansion of slavery, universal suffrage for African Americans quickly become a top priority of the post-civil war political agenda. Following the Union’s victory the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was ratified and officially abolished slavery in the United States. But, the amendment did not grant the former slaves the rights that other white Americans held at the time. In other words, it did not grant them full freedom, simply “free, but free only to labor” (Fonder, 103). To the former slaves, full freedom became “both escaping the myriad of slavery and collective empowerment” (Fonder, 103). With slavery abolished, land ownership and voting rights became central to what African Americans desired in order to achieve collective empowerment. Due to the limitations of the …show more content…
Frederick Douglas stated that “slavery is not abolished until the black man is on the ballot” (Fonder, 102) and March of the Sea spokesmen said, “Without land [ownership], blacks’ labor would continue to be exploited by their former owners.” (Fonder, 102). Now, with the 14th Amendment, African-Americans had gained those rights and freedoms. An important part of how the 14th Amendment addresses the inequalities of the time is in the wording. The broad language of the amendment stating that all Americans are granted natural born citizenship and equal protection from the law paved the way for America to become a welcoming place for all foreigners looking for freedom and inequality. It is in the wording where the significance of the 14th Amendment comes from, the wording not only addresses the inequality in the treatment of African Americans but all inequality, making all Americans equal in the eyes of the government and the

Essay On 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment, passed after the end of the Civil War, provided protection for slaves against continued oppression in the south. It was intended to guarantee their citizenship and, along with the 13th and 15th Amendments, secure their right to exercise the privileges of U.S. citizens (such as voting and owning property etc.) The Amendment has two important clauses; the first, is the equal protection clause which protects citizens from facing discrimination by State legislatures, the second, is…

Words 509 - Pages 3

Essay On 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment was ratified to the Constitution in 1868. This Amendment from the Constitution has allowed “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction, thereof are citizens of the United States of America and the state wherein they reside” according to Elbel. The fact about anchor babies is that they did not choose to be born in America soil. The illegal aliens who are the parents all work for their children to become good patriotic citizens and to have…

Words 985 - Pages 4

Essay On The 14th Amendment

one by the State this would of violated the fourteenth amendment. This both improved us because the Court was able to put a stop to such a ridiculous law that violated our freedoms. Roe v. Wade, in 1969 Norma McCorvey was denied abortion by Texas and ended up giving birth to the child only to be sent to get adopted. The Court ruled that the right to have an abortion fell within the right to privacy which was protected by the fourteenth amendment. Even though she ended up having the baby she should…

Words 451 - Pages 2

Implications Of The 14th Amendment Essay

speaking, the 14th amendment was specifically designed to apply to states; however, one could make the argument that state and local governments would eventually become implicit in the discriminatory federal statute through enforcement once Muslims are detained at airports solely because they are Muslim. Further, the 14th amendment put forth several clauses that work to protect and ensure fair treatment, but this travel ban specifically violates the equal protection clause of the amendment. Ratified…

Words 949 - Pages 4

Ratification Of The 14th Amendment Essay

Following the passage and ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, the United States courts on state and federal levels were faced with the task of determining the implementation and interpretation of the various rights expressed in the amendment. Most prominent of these interpretations was the constitutionality of protective laws as a result of a second period of mass industrialization in the later half of the 19th century and early 20th century. In conjunction with the laissez faire economics…

Words 1451 - Pages 6

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…

Words 556 - Pages 3

The Fourteenth Amendment To The US Constitution

Spiegelman APUSH-Period 2 Law Day Essay Competition The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in July 1868, led to a great change in American society and it reshaped American law and life since its ratification. It really over turned the decision of a famous earlier Supreme Court Case, Dred Scott vs Sanford, which was a decision that held that neither freed slaves or their descendants could become US citizens. With the ratification of the 14th Amendment, this changed; it granted citizenship…

Words 273 - Pages 2

Civil Rights Movement Test

lagging economy. He thought that if blacks first proved their worth in the marketplace political equality and social integration would follow. Reconstruction Amendments: 13th- abolished slavery; 14th-gave blacks citizenship guaranteed them equal protection under the law; 15th-prohibited racial discrimination in voting. These amendments worked to promote equality to the four million blacks that entered the mainstream of society after the civil war. Mississippi Plan: The violent restoration of…

Words 392 - Pages 2

Birthright Citizenship Definition

status at the time. In 1868 the Fourteenth Amendment that states “All person born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside” made the birthright citizenship a part of the Constitution. This practice has created many debates whether or not to benefit children with citizenship, of illegal immigrants based on the Fourteenth Amendment. Linda Chavez in her essay “The Case for Birthright Citizenship” made…

Words 1058 - Pages 5

Laws and Acts Essay

The Court System After the civil war, the Federal government took control over the issues of laws and regulations concerning citizenship and immigration which were previously left to the states. "With the passing of the Section 1 of the 14th amendment of the Constitution, this gave persons of African descent or nativity in addition to the "white persons" eligible the status of naturalized citizen since 1790" (Gjerde and Ngai Pg.180). Unfortunately, what was meant as freedom for the enslaved led…

Words 574 - Pages 3