Fourteenth+Amendment

=__The Fourteenth Amendment__= The Fourteenth Amendment was designed to help enforce the 13th amendment. It stated that all men born or naturalized in the United States were citizens of the U.S. and the state in which they live. Although it was made to be an addition to the Thirteenth Amendment, however, it contradicted many of the things stated in it. toc



//The U.S Constitution//

Why It Was Needed
After the Civil War the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. constitution was passed to end slavery. There were many problems in the South with having blacks free and there were many laws passed such as the Jim Crow Laws, and the Black Acts. There was much debate over whether or not blacks should be able to vote. The 14th amendment was passed to declare that anybody born or naturalized in the U.S. was a citizen which was mainly targeted towards blacks. //Jim Crow used to put on plays acting as a black man with his face painted black and wearing shabby clothes//.

Importance of The Fourteenth Amendment
The Fouteenth amendment gave more freedom and rights to blacks in the United States. This amendment put civil rights right into the Constitution. Even though it did not stop segregation, it said that no laws could be passed against only blacks. Many southerners objected to this strongly and tried to ratify it. This could not get three fourths of the states to agree so it was passed anyway. This was important because it layed out a foundation for future events like civil rights rally's and other things that protested segregation and racism in the U.S.

Future Effects
The fourteenth was a milestone in the cause of racism and segregation in the United States. This was stated as "separate but equal", although it was not equal. In future years many historical figures would come in such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to protest for civil rights. Segregation went on for almost 90 years until it was nullyfied by the civil rights act of 1964.

Overview
The Fourteenth amendment was definately one of the most important amendments to the constitution. Not only did it lay out a basic overview on how blacks were treated, it made them citizens of the U.S. It layed out a foundation on how blacks were treated for the next 80 years and inspired many african-americans to protest. Now there is no segregation and blacks are treated equally to whites.

Conclusion
The Fourteenth amendment gave blacks many basic freedoms such being able to use public facilities. It was a predescesor for the fifteenth amendment which stated that blacks could vote. It is one of the most essential amendments to the constitution and made America the free country it is today.

Resources
"Civil Rights act of 1964". [|http://www.abanet.org]. 26 October 2008. <http://wikihistoria.wikispaces. com/Battle+of+Gettysburg

Garraty, John A. The Story of American. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1994.

Jeremy Larson lectures