Amendment+14W1

Fourteen Amendment
[|5 sections of 14th Amendment] For more information [|Understanding 14th Amendmment] [|A video about the 14th amendment]
 * Focus Questions **
 * 1. What issues prompted the creation of your amendment? **
 * 2. What impact did your amendment have on society at that time? **


 * Q&A**
 * 1. Q: When did the 14th amendment come into effect? **
 * A: On July 28, 1868, the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. The amendment grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" which included former slaves who had just been freed after the civil war. **


 * 2. Q: Which **** states were against this amendment? ** [[image:eastchestermiddlehighschoollib/2000px-14th_amendment_ratification.svg.png width="213" height="138" caption="The blue states ratified the amendment and the purple states rejected but approved when this amendment was added to the constitution."]]
 * A: Nine states out of thirty seven states rejected the law. The states t **** hat rejected the amendment were, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, Delaware, Maryland, California and Kentucky. These states disliked this amendment because they did not want slaves to have the same power as "normal" people **


 * 3. Q: Who can now be a citizen of the United States of America after this amendment is enforced? **
 * A: People who are born in the Untied States had natural rights. Also recently freed slaves were included in this and could become citizens. Immigrants who were born in America also became citizens too. **


 * 4. Q: What role did the Civil War play on the creation of this amendment? **
 * A:The Civil War freed slaves, and allowed slaves to be considered as the same as normal citizens. This action helped create the 14th Amendment because it allowed former slaves to become United States citizens. [[image:http://cdn.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/633x284xBattleOfCorinth.jpg.pagespeed.ic.D4sD0AZNCG.jpg]] **


 * 5. Q: What positive effect happened to the slaves right after this amendment was passed? **
 * A: A **** fter the slaves were granted citizenship, in 1870 the 15th amendment gave them the right to vote. Also they had the same rights as their former slave owners. They were considered as United States citizens. **
 * 6. Q: Can you be a citizen of the United States even if you were born in a foreign country? **
 * A: You can be a citizen even if you are not born in the United States. One way is if your parents are from the United States, and in this way you are automatically granted citizenship of the United States. Also, you can also be a citizen by a green card system. **


 * 7. Q: How did this amendment affect America's connection to the world? **
 * A: This amendment was a big factor on America's connection to the rest of the world. This is because, this was a sign that America was accepting immigrants from other countries. This led to more people immigrating into America. **


 * 8. Q: Who was the president at **** the time this amendment **** was passed, and was he for or against this amendment? **
 * A: The Fourteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866 and ratified by the states on July 9, 1868. Andrew Johnson was the president of the United States on both dates. Andrew Johnson felt that the 14th amendment would allow the Federal Government too much power and violate states' rights. He also sought to gain southern democrat allies for the next presidential election.[|For more information on Andrew Jackson Click here]**


 * 9. Q: What was the purpose of this amendment? **
 * A. The 14th amendment made sure that the natural citizens of America had citizenship rights and equal protection under the laws. This amendment was mostly directed to former slaves following the American Civil War. It was also directed to welcome immigrants from foreign countries. **


 * 10. Q: If you are born on a US territory, are you automatically a citizen of the United States? **
 * A. Yes, if you were born in either the United States or one of its territories like Puerto Rico or the U.S Virgin Islands you could be a citizen of the United States. Also the fourteenth amendment provides that children born the in United States become citizens regardless of the citizenship of their parents. **


 * 1. The 14th amendment was created right after the civil war. After slaves became free, they were granted the right to be a citizen if they were born in America. After Abraham Lincoln was assasinated, Andrew Jackson became president. He was the president when this amendment was ratified. This amendment was mainly created for the purpose of allowing former slaves to become citizens of the United States Of America. It also allowed any one who is born in America to automatically be a citizen. In other countries, there are many countries that do not allow birth right citizenship. Finally, this amendment was mainly supported by the northern states, and rejected by the southern states. R.S**


 * 2. The 14th amendment had impact on society back then. First, it gave African Americans and slaves citizenship and allowed then to have more freedom and do things they couldn't do before.Not all states wanted this law to be passed. However, it was still passed because there were only nine states against it. Lastly, this amendment was ratified on July 28, 1868 and allowed all citizens to have equal protection under the law. Two years after the 14th amendment was passed the former slaves had the right to vote because of the new 15th amendment. It was ratified on February 26, 1869 and passed on February 3, 1870.AP **


 * Current Events: **

[|Cnn Article]- R.S

This article is about Donald Trump's view on the 14th Amendment. He says when he becomes president, he would overturn a law that grants citizenship to all people born in the United States. However, birthright citizenship is an amendment included in the Constitution, so to disallow birthright citizenship would mean changing the Constitution. Also, it has been an amendment since 1869, and has not been changed for 147 years. Furthermore, supporters of this amendment claim that to change an amendment would require a lot of opinions against the amendment, not just Donald Trump. On the other hand, the 14th amendment has a difficult wording that can mean opposite things. For instance, it states "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". The part where it states all persons born, is clear but subject to jurisdiction is unclear. This has led to conflicts about the meaning in the amendment, when it was created.

This amendment has received a lot of attention now, 147 years after its creation. it has played a big part in the 2016 presidential election too. Republican party front runner Donald Trump states that birthright citizenship should not be allowed. He claims that if America allows anyone born on U.S territory to be a U.S Citizen, illegal immigrants from Mexico can have a child that it an American Citizen. However, abolishing the 14th Amendment is very difficult. People would first have to agree on the real meaning of the amendment. Trump would also need Congress or the states to heavily support his idea, or the amendment cannot be abolished. The issue about this amendment has been debated frequently in the past decade, but it has been a bigger issue because of the presidential candidates debating about it. Finally, the 14th amendment needs something to change, or debating about the issue will continue forever. -R.S

[|Why the 14th Amendment is a big deal]- R.S

This article is about how the 14th amendment played a big role in several big court cases. One court case was Plessy vs Ferguson. This was a court case about allowing segregation of public facilities, such as schools, bathrooms, water fountains, etc. The court ruled segregation to be legal if the facilities were equal, by using the 14th amendment's equal protection clause. However, nearly 60 years later the court used this amendment to overrule itself. They urged desegregation between race, and used the 14th amendment's right. Furthermore, the 14th amendment was used in a very famous court case Bush vs Gore. It was a court case about the Florida recount that made Bush president, and the 14th amendment was used by Bush's lawyers to state that there was different methods of counting and recount was allowed. This shows how the 14th amendment played big roles in several famous court cases.

The 14th amendment has played a big role in today's society. Court cases use the 14th amendment to make decisions, and it is very relevant today. Therefore, the 14th amendment needs to be interpreted better so that no conflicts occur about the meaning of the amendment. A clear meaning would make it easier for the court to make decisions in court cases. Without a clear meaning of this amendment, court cases would result in continued arguments about which side should of won. This amendment was directed at freed slaves after the Civil War, so that they can gain citizenship. However, it is still an important amendment now, for different reasons. Some say that the Amendment should be repealed because it is too old and does not fit today's society. An amendment has not been removed for a long time but this could be an amendment that can get abolished.-R.S