Arguments Against The 14th Amendment

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America has been through many trying times, and we’ve somehow found a solution for every problem. Some solutions weren’t always the best but in that moment of time they were ‘good enough’. Slavery solved the labor shortage and created a cheap mass workforce for colonial plantations. Freeing the slaves was an attempt to solve post-civil war problems and stitch the nation back together. ‘Separate but equal’ rulings in courts were trying to smooth over the fact that blacks were not equal. Every problem seems to have a ‘good enough’ solution but the 14th Amendment to the Unites States Constitution was definitely a game changer.
The 14th Amendment states that anyone, born or naturalized in the United States is, by law, a U.S. citizen. It is stated that neither the nation, nor any state, can pass any law that violates anyone’s rights as a full American citizen, regardless of race, gender or any other circumstances. The Amendment also states that every citizen of the United States is to receive equal protection and treatment under the law. In 1868, when this amendment was ratified, the …show more content…

Blacks were then left on their own in day to day life. The Supreme Court had decided that the 14th amendment applied solely to the states, and that the federal government could not make rulings to define or protect civil rights. There was only one dissenter in this court decision, Justice Harlan. He ironically was the only justice to hold slaves, but because his family had owned slaves, he had seen the horror and unjust treatment blacks received. For decades after, blacks would meet many struggles and conflicts regarding equality in society. But because of the fourteenth amendment, they were given a way to push for their rights. Eventually, communities started getting over something as simple as different skin color, and different races were accepted further into

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