Document 1: 14th Amendment

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Citation: From Laws of the United States, 1st Session, 39th Congress, Part III, 1865-66, General Records of the U.S. Government, RG 11.

Vocabulary: naturalized, jurisdiction, abridge, privileges, immunities, apportioned, electors, insurrection, validity, bounties, emancipation.

Questions for Students

1. Review and discuss the meaning of each section of the amendment.

2. What do the terms "privileges and immunities" and "equal protection" mean?

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think this amendment to the Constitution was necessary?

2. The 15th Amendment specifically prohibits the disenfranchisement of citizens based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. If the 14th Amendment protects the privileges and immunities of citizens, why was the 15th Amendment necessary? Consider also why many people feel an equal rights amendment is needed despite the fact that the 14th Amendment appears to guarantee the rights of women.

Contents:

Related Resources

Civil Rights Movement

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Chicago: "Document 1: 14th Amendment," Teaching With Documents, Volume 1 in Teaching With Documents: Using Primary Sources from the National Archives, ed. United States. National Archives and Records Administration and National Council for the Social Studies (Washington, D.C.: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1989), 44–45. Original Sources, accessed April 23, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=R32B17H6YKUN21N.

MLA: . "Document 1: 14th Amendment." Teaching With Documents, Volume 1, in Teaching With Documents: Using Primary Sources from the National Archives, edited by United States. National Archives and Records Administration and National Council for the Social Studies, Vol. 1, Washington, D.C., National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1989, pp. 44–45. Original Sources. 23 Apr. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=R32B17H6YKUN21N.

Harvard: , 'Document 1: 14th Amendment' in Teaching With Documents, Volume 1. cited in 1989, Teaching With Documents: Using Primary Sources from the National Archives, ed. , National Archives Trust Fund Board, Washington, D.C., pp.44–45. Original Sources, retrieved 23 April 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=R32B17H6YKUN21N.