What is the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment?

The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution was adopted in 1868 as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. It is the most lengthy amendment, containing five sections. The primary purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment is to guarantee the rights of citizens. This amendment protects individuals against any state that may try to deny them their rights. According to the amendment, no state can “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.” This means that no state can pass laws that unfairly single out certain people or groups. The amendment also clarifies the rights of people born in the United States as citizens, whether or not their parents were citizens. This part of the amendment was necessary because of the Dred Scott Decision, which had held that people of African descent were not United States citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment also clarifies the rights of freed slaves. It states that any person who has been granted freedom by the United States must be treated as a citizen of the United States. This section of the amendment was necessary because many states had passed laws denying rights to freed slaves. Finally, the amendment also states that any person who has committed a crime cannot be held to a higher punishment than a citizen of the United States. This part of the amendment was necessary to ensure that people, regardless of their country of origin or citizenship, are all treated fairly and equally under the law. In summary, the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment is to ensure that all people in the United States are treated equally under the law, and that their rights are protected from any state or local governments that may try to deny them.

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What is the purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment?

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