Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Amendment Fourteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Fourteen

"Section 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. 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.

Section 2

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Section 3

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."


Amendment 14 in a summed up version pretty much defines what it means to be a U.S. citizen. It protects our rights and civil liberties and defines that if you are born on U.S. soil you are a U.S. citizen (citizenship clause) and that no one can take that citizenship away from you. The 14th also reinforces the Bill of Rights and protects the 1st amendment rights that cannot be taken away without due clause (due process clause). The 14th amendment also states that there can be NO discrimination from the law on any person (equal protection clause); this one is a little iffy to me considering there is still a wide range of racial discrimination on people of color by the law enforcement.


Image result for 14th Amendment Political Cartoon
I chose this picture from http://learni.st/learnings/356487-14th-amendment-political-cartoon; It is showing a man from the tea party (bad guy) who wants to repeal the 14th amendment. The baby says someone needs a diaper change which I thoroughly enjoyed! Anyone born on this soil is a citizen and the right should never be taken away!

Image result for 14th Amendment Political Cartoon
I got this picture from http://associationavh.com/fr/14th-amendment-cartoon and I chose it because it made me laugh as well. Only because us American did invade the Indians land which is messed up in a sense. I don't know if I have the whole concept of this picture or not, I just thought it was funny because the roles are reversed.

No comments:

Post a Comment