Constitution Amendment in 1868 14 April

14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” By directly mentioning the role of the states, the 14th Amendment greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment.

American Memory Historical Collections

    The African-American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920

        The Cleveland Gazette published an article on the Fourteenth Amendment on December 24, 1898, which discusses this amendment as it relates to a controversy concerning pensions for Confederate veterans. Also includes another Cleveland Gazette article from January 11, 1902, on enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment.

    African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P.Murray Collection, 1818-1907

        In 1873, the U.S. Supreme Court examined the 14th Amendment in the Slaughterhouse Case. The dissenting opinions can be read in this collection. Also includes a speech from 1904 by Edward Morrell, a congressman from Pennsylvania, entitled "Negro Suffrage: Should the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments be Repealed?"

    A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation

        The Senate passed the 14th Amendment on June 8, 1866, by a vote of 33 to 11, while the House of Representatives passed the 14th Amendment on June 13, 1866, by a vote of 120 to 32. On July 28, 1868, Secretary of State William Seward issued a proclamation certifying the ratification of the 14th Amendment by the states.

        Search in the 39th Congress to find additional information on the 14th Amendment.

    Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921

        In 1871, Sara J. Spencer and Sarah E. Webster each brought cases before the court in the District of Columbia arguing that they were enfranchised by the Fourteenth Amendment. This pamphlet outlines the arguments of their lawyers and the decision of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia denying their claim.

Source : Local Goverment