Political Awareness

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INTRODUCTION:

The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified on July 9th, 1868, and it completely shifted how citizenship and individual rights were interpreted in the United States. It made sure that anyone who was born or naturalized in the country was officially a citizen. It also protected people’s rights to life, liberty, and property under the law. Overall, the goal was to make things fairer and make sure that the government protected everyone’s rights.

The text:

Section I: Rights of the Individuals

This section mentions that anyone who is born or naturalized in the U.S is a citizen. It also says that states can’t take away people’s rights to life, liberty, or property. Without fair and legal procedures, they must treat everyone equally under the law.

Section II: Apportionment of Representation

The number of representatives each state gets in Congress is based on its population. Counting everyone except certain Native Americans or “Indians” at the time.

Section III: Disqualification from Holding Office

This section basically prevents anyone from holding a government position if they had once taken an oath to support the Constitution. But later took part in or supported a rebellion against the United States.

Section IV: Public Debt

This section states that the U.S will pay its legal debts from the Civil War, but not anything that supported the Confederacy or slavery.

Section V: Enforcement

This part gives Congress the power to make laws that help carry out everything written in the 14th Amendment and enforce it in an orderly manner.

LEGACY AND ITS IMPACT:

Historical Impact:

The 14th Amendment significantly changed things after the Civil War. It finally gave citizenship to people who had been enslaved and promised that everyone would be treated equally under the law. This was a massive step that was taken at the time and ever since, it has been used in many civil rights movements. For instance, ending any kind of segregation or even for establishing fair and equal voting rights. In turn, it can be said that it helped in making the Constitution something that was focused on protection rather than just power.

Current Events: 

When it comes to the modern relevance of this amendment, a lot of the cases that took place in the past still have their influence today. Courts continue to refer back to them when dealing with issues around equal protection and citizenship. Whether it’s debates over who qualifies for birthright citizenship or how laws treat different groups of people. The 14th Amendment is often at the center. Furthermore, based on the level of scrutiny that is used for the specific cases, the court deems the law as either constitutional or unconstitutional. This shows that its legacy isn’t just historical but instead it is something that continues to shape how justice is understood in the present day.

THE CLAUSES EXPLAINED:

Citizenship Clause: This clause grants citizenship to anyone who is born or naturalized in the United States.

Equal Protection Clause: This clause ensures that everyone is to be treated equally under the law.

Due Process Clause: Before someone’s rights for something are taken away, the Due Process Clause makes sure that fair and legal procedures must take place.

THE AMENDMENT IN ACTION:

Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Race-based classification

This case declared that racial segregation in public schools is deemed unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.

Roe v. Wade (1973): Gender/Body autonomy classification

The court struck down Texas’s law criminalizing most abortions. Recognizing a woman’s right to choose abortion under the right to privacy.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): Sexual Orientation classification

In this case, the court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

CONCLUSION:

Although there are still some conflicting beliefs that exist amongst people, the cases that have occurred in the past have played a huge role in restoring and protecting the rights of individuals. Making sure their voices, their lives, and their goals are valued. To this day, the 14th Amendment is used as a powerful tool to fight injustice and push for equal treatment. Whether it’s through court decisions or simply by movements led by the people, it has ultimately helped in defining what it means to be a citizen and has held the government accountable when it comes to fairness.