What was the purpose of the 14 amendment to the constitution of the US?

Answer 1

Although the 13th amendment permanently outlawed slavery in the United States and its territories, the Supreme Court had already set precedence, specifically with the Dred Scott case (see Dred Scott v. Sandford), determining that Negroes, whether free or slave could never be citizens of the United States. Since the Supreme Court makes rulings solely on Constitutional law, the 14th amendment was intended to essentially overturn this decision and assert the citizenship "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." It is different than the 15th amendment in that the 15th specifically guarantees the right to vote regardless of race,color, or previous condition of servitude. To understand why this was necessary, one only need remember that citizenship did not necessarily guarantee one's right to vote (technically, women conformed to the clause "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" articulated in the 14th amendment but did not have the national right to vote until 1920).

Answer 2

The intent of the 14th amendment was to guarantee blacks their constitutional rights and citizenship. The section 1 states that "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." This section sets a precedent that no citizen (now blacks) can have their rights taken from them without due process.

Early in statehood it was not clear what made a person a citizen or the benefits of being a citizen. A person could perhaps be so by birthright or by birth place. The 14th Amendment established citizenship by birth place or though a naturalization process. It then established benefits of U.S. citizenship.

Answer 3

The original intent of the 14th amendment was to make all people who were born in the US citizens. It originally was meant to protect African American slaves who were born in the US.