Amendment1868
14th Amendment Ratified
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteeing equal protection under the law and due process. It was one of three Reconstruction Amendments following the Civil War.
Why It Matters
The 14th Amendment became one of the most consequential provisions in the Constitution, serving as the basis for landmark civil rights decisions including Brown v. Board of Education and Obergefell v. Hodges.