14 th amendment - Research Paper Example

The 14th amendment to the American constitution is highly pertinent because it explicitly addresses immigration and nationality act to give equal protection to its citizens across race, color and culture. 14th amendment was also designed to strengthen the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This is one of most important amendments that helped to declare the Afro-Americans as rightful citizens of America and promoted equality across race, color and culture. When civil Rights had come into force, the color of the skin played a major role in the social status.

The whites had maintained a racial divide within the society through deliberate use of powerful lobby of the whites and financial advantages that they enjoyed. The blacks were not allowed to become part of mainstream society so that they remained socially and economically unequal. The Amendment was a huge step towards bridging the socio-cultural and racial gaps in the American society. The equal protection is a critical part that gives legal rights of citizenship to the non white population of America.

It clearly established that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are 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’ (US constitution). It paved way for tranquil growth of new American society that valued democratic framework. It became a major propeller of social justice across the race and color and provided the former slaves with legal rights to fight against discriminatory social practices.

Interestingly separate but equal was a highly controversial doctrine that the white population exploited to gain undue advantages. The words like privileges or immunities, due process of law etc. were misrepresented to favor white population against the non white individuals in the court