More often than not, most Americans look upon the constitution as the guiding light of our country. Recent events occurring in our national election no doubt prove that. There are many important amendments to our Constitution regarding our rights as citizens and the delegation of powers to branches and states. However, I believe that the 14 th amendment is the most important to our constitution.
When the 14 th Amendment was ratified in 1868, it put a whole new spin on our Constitution, far surpassing the importance of any amendment before it or sense. There are several crucial unconditional rights that are granted to everyone in the preamble of the Constitution. They are the rights to life, liberty, and property. We are also guaranteed a fair and due process of the law as stated by the 5 th amendment. This brings our nation more closer to total equality than ever. Even though there will always be discrimination, this amendment will allow us to be protected under the law, so that wherever we are in our country, we will be protected and have the same rules applied to us that will effect our constitutional rights.
These unconditional rights, reaffirmed by the 14 th amendment, are the core structure behind our Constitution. The 14 th Amendment also helps promote strong centralized government. By limiting the states power, this amendment gives more power to the federal branch of government. This in turn strengthens the power of congress as well. Strengthening America with a better range in which it can affect its citizens is priceless to our country. By treating all the states equally, this amendment helps bring the states of this nation together.
The Essay on Federal v. State Power
... begin. It says that if a state is not given a power directly by the constitution but is not prohibited from using that ... government end and where do the boundaries of state governments begin? The tenth amendment has somewhat of an answer to where the ... of a democracy. Our country was designed on the basis of cooperative federalism. We wouldn’t be the United States anymore without the ...
One of the great qualities about this amendment is that it grants many freedoms to the states and as the country as a whole. Without the 14 th Amendment, none of us would be guaranteed the rights stated in the other Amendments. Section 1 of the 14 th amendment state that No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. This ensures that any and all citizens are free from unconstitutional state or local actions. It is hard to appreciate how life would be if the states could take away freedoms and fundamental rights as they wished. All of our rights stated in the Constitution would then become frivolous, because the states would then simply dictate or alter our so-called rights.
The 14 th Amendment recognizes and discusses the most important right amongst our people in this country: who has the right to be a citizen. Section 1 of the 14 th Amendment grants all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship. Although the Constitution states that all men are created equal, before this amendments passage, only white landowners were considered citizens. Many minorities and people without a land title were not protected under the Constitution.
The United States places the values of equality and equal protection high on the social ladder. The ratification of the 14 th Amendment guaranteed equal protection under the law of all citizens. Although some argue that the 1 st Amendment is more pivotal in providing privileges, without the 14 th Amendment, many of the residents of the United States would not be granted the benefits of the 1 st Amendment. Based on the evidence presented, the 14 th Amendment is, without a doubt, the most important amendment to our Constitution.
Without this Amendment, all of the other amendments would most likely be corrupted by the states we live in. The 14 th Amendment is a symbol of freedom that America has given us as citizens. It was given to us not only help protect ourselves, but also to help build and bring together all of our Constitutional rights, and without this amendment, those freedoms as we know today might not have existed. That is why I believe that the 14 th amendment is the most important and vital amendment to our great Constitution..
The Essay on United State Madison Constitution States
James Madison was called the great little Madison by his friends. Perhaps it was because he weighed less than one hundred pounds and was very short. But it was probably because this man did more to create the constitution than any other American. Madison came from Virginia and had written a constitution for the state. When Madison saw the problems that the United States had under the Articles of ...
