What is the 14th Amendment in simple terms?
Asked by: Mr. Trey Miller V | Last update: January 19, 2026Score: 4.3/5 (17 votes)
What are the 5 main points of the 14th Amendment?
Moreover, the Fourteenth amendment includes citizenship, state action, privacy rights, apportionment, disqualification for rebellion, debt, and the enforcement clause, among other rights.
What does the 14th Amendment say for dummies?
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. Section 2.
What does the 14th Amendment have to do with the debt?
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.
What was the controversial word in the 14th Amendment?
Why was the Fourteenth Amendment controversial in women's rights circles? This is because, for the first time, the proposed Amendment added the word "male" into the US Constitution.
The 14th Amendment Explained: US Government Review
Which President opposed the 14th Amendment?
The Senate version passed on June 8, and five days later, the House agreed to approve that final version. President Andrew Johnson was notified that the amendment was being sent to the states for ratification, and he publicly expressed his disapproval.
Which Amendment gives the right to overthrow the government?
“The fanciful claim that the Second Amendment exists to allow armed groups to overthrow the government is the basis for the equally deranged claim that the people must have an arsenal equal to the government's.
Who is responsible to pay back all debts in the Constitution?
1 ( The Congress shall have Power . . . to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States . . . . ). Jump to essay-10See Act of Aug.
What does section 5 of the 14th Amendment mean?
Howard explained, Section Five “enables Congress, in case the State shall enact laws in conflict with the principles of the amendment, to correct that legislation by a formal congressional enactment.”
Are US states allowed to have debt?
Some states impose fixed dollar limits on general obligation debt, and nearly all the states require voter approval for issuing general obligation debt. Also, many states impose legal limits on taxes and spending.
What are the three main clauses of the 14th Amendment?
The amendment's first section includes the Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, and Equal Protection Clause.
What amendment allows Congress to tax income?
Amendment Sixteen to the Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1913. It grants Congress the authority to issue an income tax without having to determine it based on population.
What does section 2 of the 14th Amendment mean?
Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment focuses on the way individual citizens are counted to determine electoral power for the states. The previous Thirteenth Amendment eliminated the Three-Fifths Clause in Article I of the Constitution, as every slave in the United States had been legally freed.
What is arguably the most important part of the 14th Amendment?
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 ...
Can Congress make laws that are unconstitutional?
When Congress disagrees with the Supreme Court about an interpretation of the Constitution, the only direct way to override that interpretation is for two-thirds of both houses of Congress to propose an amendment to the Constitution, which then must be ratified by three-quarters of the states.
What are the 3 major rights guaranteed by 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 does section 3 of the 14th Amendment say?
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 is the 6th Amendment?
It gives citizens a series of rights in criminal trials. They include the rights to a fast and public trial by an impartial jury, to be aware of the criminal charges, to confront witnesses during the trial, to have witnesses appear in the trial, and the right to legal representation.
What does section 7 of the Constitution mean?
Section 7: Legislative Process
All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
What does section 4 of the 14th Amendment mean in simple terms?
Section 4 Public Debt
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.
Who do we owe the national debt to?
Public debt, which accounts for roughly 80% of the total, is owed to investors. Those investors include foreign governments, mutual funds, pension funds, and individuals among others. The Federal Reserve owns part of this public debt. Intragovernmental debt accounts for the other 20%.
What law is above all others in the United States?
The Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land in the United States. Learn more about our founding document. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States.
Does the Constitution say it's OK to overthrow the government?
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Is God mentioned in the Declaration of Independence?
While the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, nearly all state constitutions reference either God or the divine, according to a 2017 analysis. God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and on U.S. currency.
What is the 23rd Amendment right?
Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 23 – “Extending the Vote to the District of Columbia” Amendment Twenty-three to the Constitution was ratified on March 29, 1961. It gives electors to the District of Columbia – the capital city of the United States – so that it may participate in presidential elections.