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14th Amendment | What is the Fourteenth Amendment?

The Fourteenth Amendment in the Constitution is the second of three Reconstruction amendments protecting all people born or naturalized in the United States with citizenship.

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What is the 14th Amendment?

The 14th Amendment protects citizenship for all born in naturalized in the U.S., due process of law, and equal protection under the law.

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14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

The 14th Amendments grants equal protection, due process, and the process of incorporation applying the Bill of Rights to the states.

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14th Amendment Incorporation

The 14th Amendment led to the debate if the Bill of Rights should apply to states as well as the federal government.

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Selective Incorporation Interactive

A quiz game that helps students review the concept of incorporation.

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What is the 14th Amendment in Simple Terms?

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Reconstruction Amendments

The Reconstruction Amendments are comprised of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. They were ratified during the era of Reconstruction and were an attempt to both unify the Union after Civil War and protect the freedoms of African Americans after the war.

The 13th Amendment

The 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States except as a punishment for crime.

The 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendments grants all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship.

The 15th Amendment

The 15th Amendment protects the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It excludes gender or sex. 

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