What part of the 14th Amendment protects civil rights?
Asked by: Marisa Sawayn | Last update: February 17, 2026Score: 5/5 (34 votes)
The Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause, both within Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, are the primary parts protecting civil rights, ensuring states treat all people equally under the law and provide fair legal processes, while the Amendment also defines citizenship and guarantees privileges/immunities. These clauses prevent states from denying anyone life, liberty, or property without due process, and from denying equal protection of laws, forming the basis for many civil rights advancements.
Which clause of the 14th Amendment protects civil rights?
Equal Protection Clause. The Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
What does the 14th Amendment have to do with civil rights?
Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of ...
What does article 3 of the 14th Amendment say?
Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the Disqualification Clause, bars individuals who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. Constitution after taking an oath to support it from holding federal or state office, though Congress can remove this disability with a two-thirds vote. Originally created after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from holding office, it applies to anyone who took an oath and then participated in an insurrection or aided its enemies, covering roles like Congress members, presidential electors, and state/federal officers.
What is Section 2 of the 14th Amendment?
Fourteenth Amendment, Section 2 addresses the apportionment of Representatives in Congress based on state population, but crucially, it penalizes states that deny adult male citizens the right to vote (except for rebellion or crime) by reducing their representation proportionally, effectively linking voting rights to congressional power. It superseded the Three-Fifths Compromise by counting all persons (excluding untaxed Indians) for representation, ensuring Southern states couldn't gain power from enslaved populations without granting those freedmen suffrage.
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What is clause 4 of the 14th Amendment?
Fourteenth Amendment, Section 4: The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.
Which Amendment gives the right to overthrow the government?
“From the floor of the House of Representatives to Truth Social, my GOP colleagues routinely assert that the Second Amendment is about 'the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary,' that it was 'designed purposefully to empower the people to be able to resist the force of ...
What is Section 5 of the 14th Amendment?
Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment vests Congress with the authority to adopt “appropriate” legislation to enforce the other parts of the Amendment—most notably, the provisions of Section One.
What is the Article 4 Section 4?
Section 4 Republican Form of Government
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
What is Section 1 of the 14th Amendment?
Section 1 Rights
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
What is a violation of civil rights?
A civil rights violation is when a person's fundamental rights, protected by the U.S. Constitution or federal law, are denied, interfered with, or discriminated against, often based on characteristics like race, gender, religion, disability, or national origin, leading to unequal treatment in areas such as employment, housing, education, or by law enforcement. These violations involve unlawful actions like discrimination, police misconduct (excessive force, wrongful arrest), denial of due process, or suppression of rights like free speech.
Which part of the 14th Amendment section one is associated with civil rights?
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.
Why did President Johnson veto the Civil Rights Act?
Representative Henry Raymond of New York noted that the legislation was “one of the most important bills ever presented to this House for its action.” President Johnson disagreed with the level of federal intervention implied by the legislation, calling it “another step, or rather a stride, toward centralization and ...
How can the 14th Amendment be used to protect people's civil rights?
The 14th Amendment provides, in part, that no state can "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Title IX specifically prohibits sex discrimination.
What year did the Supreme Court overturn the civil rights Act?
The Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional in 1883. In a consolidated case, known as the Civil Rights Cases, the court found that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted Congress the right to regulate the behavior of states, not individuals.
Are civil rights mentioned in the Constitution?
Civil rights are legal entitlements created by laws that ensure individuals receive equal treatment and protection from discrimination. They are not found in the Bill of Rights but derive from statutes and constitutional amendments.
What does section 4 of the 14th Amendment mean in simple terms?
Section 4 Public Debt
But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
What is the Article 7 of the Constitution?
The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
What is Section 9 of the Constitution?
9. (1) Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. (2) Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.
What is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment?
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State ...
What are the 5 main points of the 14th Amendment?
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
What is not protected by the 14th Amendment?
However, the Civil Rights Cases (1883) held that the Fourteenth Amendment does not empower Congress to outlaw racial discrimination by private individuals. In Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964), the Supreme Court upheld similar legislation under the Commerce Clause instead.
Could US citizens overthrow the government?
§2385. Advocating overthrow of Government. Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
What rights are not absolute?
Constitutional rights are not and cannot always be absolute. There are limits to them. For example, a person cannot publish lies that destroy another person's reputation and claim that the right to free speech protects him or her from a lawsuit.
What does the 27th Amendment actually say?
The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that no law varying the compensation for Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives has intervened, meaning Congress can't give itself a pay raise that takes effect immediately; they have to wait until after the next election, allowing voters to decide if they approve. It was originally proposed in 1789 by James Madison but wasn't ratified until 1992, making it the last ratified amendment, with a long history due to its lack of a time limit for ratification.