Amendment XIVSection 1.All persons 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. read more
June 8, 1866 - The Senate passed the 14th Amendment by a vote of 33 to 11. June 13, 1866 - The House of Representatives passed the 14th Amendment by a vote of 120 to 32. June 16, 1866 - The text of the 14th Amendment can be found in the United States Statutes at Large, volume 14, page 358 (14 Stat. 358). read more
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. read more
The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. read more
Today, the Fourteenth Amendment is still important because the Supreme Court has held that it applies many of the protections in the Bill of Rights against the states. The 14th amendment grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," which included former slaves recently freed. read more