The 14TH Amendment
By William Alvarado
Date Ratified : July 9, 1868
The 14th amendment along with the 13th and 15th amendment , were ratified during the Reconstruction Era which took place after the civil war.The main purpose of the amendment was to enforce the Civil Rights Act of of 1886, which said all people, excluding indians, born in the United States were citizens and were to be given " Full and equal benefit of all laws.
ThIs also included the recently freed former slaves
What is stated
- State and federal citizenship for all people regardless of race both born or naturalized in the U.S
- No state shall be allowed to abridge the " privileges ad immunities " of citizens
- No person shall be allowed to be deprived of life,liberty.or property without due process of the law
- No one shall be denied the " equal protections of the laws"
May 17 ,1954
Prior to his date , a supreme court ruling stated that white and black children could be forced into separate schools. under the doctrine of " equal but separate". However a lawsuit filed by several parents on behalf of their children towards the the Board of Education for the city of Topeka, Kansa would soon change that. The ultimate unanimous ruling stated segregating children by race was a violation of the 14th amendment. This ruling ended segregation for all schools in the United States.
Loving vs Virginia
Loving vs Virginia was a case against Virginia's "miscegenation " laws that banned marriage between blacks and whites. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving married legally in Washington D.C and after returning to their home in Virginia, were charged with unlawful cohabitation and were jailed .After getting arrested for traveling together, Mildred wrote to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy who referred them to ACLU represented them in the case.The Supreme Court ruled that state bans on interracial marriage was unconstitutional.
Was the 14th Amendment a Good Idea?
Personally , I believe that the 14th is crucial . It gives all citizens equal protection of the law and it allows for their basic rights to be respected. And while this amendment is sometimes violated, it is one that should always be enforced for it supports the statement in our constitution that " All men are created equal"
Imagine a world without the 14th Amendment
Without the 14th Amendment only white people would be treated fairly and every other person of color that are citizens would be teated as inferior without any sort of rights to allow them basic things like getting protection of the law . obtaining property or even have the right to live. Without the 14th amendment the civil rights movement probably would have turned out different, Ultimately, without the 14th amendment the U.S would not be a free nation
Significance to me
While i am technically no longer undocumented , i am still not officially a citizen of the United States. And unfortunately my legal status still restricts me from certain privileges , i am still grateful for the rights i have as a student.And i will continue to my goal of becoming a citizen so that i may have the rights and privileges that the 14th amendment grants