What is the 14th Amendment and What does it do?
Throughout history people have been fighting for equal protection to all under the law and in the US the 14th amendment is our guarantee that all of our citizens both old and new have this important right. It also states that No state can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Watch the short YouTube Video Below to gain a basic understanding of what the amendment really means.
What does it mean by "Equal Protection" in section 1 of the 14th amendment?
In reality these simple words have vastly changed the life of many citizens especially those citizens who have a different race or ethnicity compared to most other citizens. It means that states must apply the law equally and cannot discriminate against people or groups of people arbitrarily. These words have made it clear that every single citizen of the US has equal rights no matter what race, background, ethnicity, religion, or other discriminatory factors.
Once the 14th amendment was passed there were questions as to what the real extent of its and several court cases were formed that helped define how powerful this amendment is. These cases were the Civil Rights Cases.
The Civil Rights Cases (United States v. Stanley; United States v. Ryan; United States v. Nichols; United States v. Singleton; Robinson et ux. v. Memphis & Charleston R.R. Co.) were exactly what they say they are Supreme court cases about people wanting civil rights. These cases were each about civil rights in different aspects such as equal treatment in businesses, employment, privileges, customer treatment, and other services. The Supreme court ruled that segregation and discrimination were not acceptable practices to apply in the publicly controlled sector but was the Supreme court cant control all the private sector in the United States. While their ruling for this set of cases did not directly solve the problem it did lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that fixed these issues. To this day the US still hold this to be a very important part of our history and a great movement towards creating a more fair and free American life with equal opportunity for all.
United States v. Stanley; Owners of theaters and hotels were prosecuted for discriminating against African Americans.
United States v. Ryan; + United States v. Singleton;
Both the applicants discriminated against “non whites” “for denying to individuals the privileges and accommodations of a theater.” “Information” was filed against Ryan for refusing admission to the dress circle at Maguire’s theater, San Francisco, to a black person. Singleton was indicted for denying to another person, whose color is not stated, the full enjoyment of the accommodations of the theater known as the Grand Opera House in New York.
United States v. Nichols;
indictment for denying to persons of color the accommodations and privileges of an inn or hotel;
Robinson et ux. v. Memphis & Charleston R.R. Co.
Robinson and his wife brought an action against the Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company, Tennessee, to obtain the payment of a US$ 500 penalty charge for discrimination suffered at the railroad company’s hands. Robinson was of a “white” appearance, whilst his wife was black. Mrs Robinson was denied entry to “ride in the ladies’ car” of a train by a conductor on the basis “that she was a person of African descent.
United States v. Stanley; Owners of theaters and hotels were prosecuted for discriminating against African Americans.
United States v. Ryan; + United States v. Singleton;
Both the applicants discriminated against “non whites” “for denying to individuals the privileges and accommodations of a theater.” “Information” was filed against Ryan for refusing admission to the dress circle at Maguire’s theater, San Francisco, to a black person. Singleton was indicted for denying to another person, whose color is not stated, the full enjoyment of the accommodations of the theater known as the Grand Opera House in New York.
United States v. Nichols;
indictment for denying to persons of color the accommodations and privileges of an inn or hotel;
Robinson et ux. v. Memphis & Charleston R.R. Co.
Robinson and his wife brought an action against the Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company, Tennessee, to obtain the payment of a US$ 500 penalty charge for discrimination suffered at the railroad company’s hands. Robinson was of a “white” appearance, whilst his wife was black. Mrs Robinson was denied entry to “ride in the ladies’ car” of a train by a conductor on the basis “that she was a person of African descent.
What Important political group was formed over this issue and to protect the rights of minorities?
The NAACP is a proud organization that was founded in 1909 to help advocate the equal rights of minorities. With the growing rate of minorities in America this group of minorities is looking to expand and better equalize everyone's rights. In the 1950s the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, headed by Marshall, secured the last of these goals through Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The NAACP's Washington, D.C., bureau, led by lobbyist Clarence M. Mitchell Jr., helped advance not only integration of the armed forces in 1948 but also passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1964, and 1968, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. To view more about NAACP use this link: http://www.naacp.org/
School Segregation: A changed time
In the Jim Crow Era of America's history the effects of the Plessy Vs. Ferguson case created a new law that makes schools segregate or separate based on race. For many years this idea was applied but the equality of the schools was really not equal, in almost all ceases the schools for whites was much better than the schools for colored children. Many years later a cases called Brown Vs. Board of Education (1954) showed that all schools were not equal and the Supreme court ruled that schools must allow everyone to attend school and not discriminate based on race. Even with challenging areas such as Little Rock Arizona (Little Rock Nine were nine black students who needed the national guard to go to school) students of all races can now attend schools of their choice.