Member-only story
HISTORY
How The 14th Amendment Secured The Rights of Black Americans
“Birthright citizenship” and the “equal protection clause” all stem from this crucial legislation
You never miss your water until your well runs dry.” In other words, taking a resource for granted is easy when you’ve never had to endure life without it. The same analogy can be applied to our civil rights. For instance, while the 14th Amendment established “birthright citizenship” and the “equal protection clause,” those who have not considered its relevance may take these protections for granted. However, Americans should know that after chattel slavery, the nation engaged in a rancorous debate over the status of formerly enslaved Africans. Their citizenship was disputed rather than presumed.
As Martha S. Jones described in The 1619 Project, Black people had to advocate for “full citizenship” through a series of conventions, as they realized it “would not come by the ballot. Nor would it come by way of white lawmakers’ benevolence. Instead, the only route to national belonging was through organizing and advocacy.” Perhaps their efforts are why Nikole Hannah-Jones called Black citizens the “perfectors of our democracy.” After challenging the unjust conditions Black people endured during slavery, they did what the…
