If the original Constitution built the federal government, the Fourteenth Amendment reshaped the relationship between Americans and their states.
Ratified on July 9, 1868, after the Civil War, it is the longest and most litigated amendment in the Constitution.
What Each Section Does
- Section 1: “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.” It then bars states from abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens, depriving any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, or denying any person equal protection of the laws
- Section 2: Apportions House seats by counting “the whole number of persons in each State” and penalizes states that deny eligible men the vote
- Section 3: Disqualifies from office anyone who took an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection, unless Congress removes the disability by a two-thirds vote
- Section 4: “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law… shall not be questioned”
- Section 5: Gives Congress power to enforce the amendment by appropriate legislation
Due Process and Incorporation
Through the Due Process Clause, the Supreme Court has applied most of the Bill of Rights to state and local governments, a process called incorporation. Freedom of speech, protection against unreasonable searches and the right to keep and bear arms all bind your city and state because of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Equal Protection
The Equal Protection Clause was the basis for Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which held that state-mandated school segregation violates the Constitution. It remains central to cases about how governments may classify people.
Birthright Citizenship
In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the Supreme Court held that a child born in the United States to Chinese parents who were lawfully living here was a citizen by birth.
In January 2025, an executive order sought to deny citizenship to certain children born in the United States based on their parents’ immigration status. On June 30, 2026, in Trump v. Barbara, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the order was unconstitutional, reaffirming that children born on U.S. soil are citizens under the Citizenship Clause regardless of their parents’ status. On August 6, 2026, the President signed a new executive order addressing birthright citizenship, which is expected to face legal challenges.
Why It Matters
Questions of who is a citizen, what process the government owes before taking away liberty or property, and whether laws treat people equally touch every American. All of them run through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Keep Digging With Truth Agent
This article is a starting point. Truth Agent puts the public record at your fingertips, including the Constitution, federal law, regulations, court opinions and oversight reports, so you can read the amendment, the landmark cases and the latest court rulings for yourself without relying on anyone’s summary, including ours.
Read Next on Truth Trench
- The Bill of Rights, Amendment by Amendment
- Federalism and the Tenth Amendment: Who Holds Power, Washington or the States?
- Two Flags, One Vote? The Debate Over Foreign-Born Citizens, Dual Citizenship, and Public Office
