The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1868 as part of Reconstruction after the Civil War. The amendment guarantees all citizens equal protection under the law by prohibiting states from denying “any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This means that no person or group of persons should be denied the same rights and privileges as another person or group of persons. This includes all persons regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected class. This amendment has been the basis for many landmark Supreme Court decisions, including Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Other cases based on the 14th Amendment include Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, and Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage. The 14th Amendment is an important part of our democracy and a cornerstone of civil rights in the United States.
