What was the significance of the first section of the 14th amendment to Reconstruction?
It made everyone born in or naturalized by the United States a full citizen. As such they cannot be slaves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Text
but why was this significant during reconstuction?
This article explains more.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_14th.html
The first section of the 14th Amendment is significant to Reconstruction in several ways. To understand its significance, we first need to understand what the 14th Amendment is and what Reconstruction refers to.
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, was part of the Reconstruction Amendments, which were a series of constitutional amendments aimed at reconstructing the United States after the Civil War. Reconstruction refers to the period following the Civil War when the federal government enacted policies to address the issues of the newly freed slaves, the readmission of the southern states into the Union, and the reshaping of the United States after the abolition of slavery.
Now, let's dive into the significance of the first section of the 14th Amendment to Reconstruction:
1. Defines Citizenship: The first section of the 14th Amendment begins with the famous Citizenship Clause, stating that "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." This clause aimed to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case (1857), which denied citizenship to Black people. By including this clause, the amendment sought to ensure that freed slaves and their descendants were recognized as citizens, granting them rights and protections under the Constitution.
2. Protects Equal Protection: The next crucial part of the first section is the Equal Protection Clause, which states that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws." This clause intended to guarantee equal treatment and legal rights for all citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity. Its purpose was to combat racial discrimination and ensure that African Americans would be treated fairly under the law.
3. Addresses State Action: The first section also introduces the idea of "state action" by stating that no state shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." This clause clarifies that the protections provided by the amendment apply to actions taken by state governments, not solely those by the federal government. It meant that state laws and practices that violated the rights of citizens, especially those of Black Americans, could be challenged and invalidated.
4. Impacts Federal Power: Additionally, the first section of the 14th Amendment grants Congress the power to enforce the provisions of the amendment through appropriate legislation. This empowers the federal government to intervene in state affairs to uphold the rights of citizens, particularly when states fail to protect those rights adequately. It allowed Congress to pass civil rights legislation aimed at ensuring the enforcement of equal rights for all citizens.
Overall, the first section of the 14th Amendment played a pivotal role in Reconstruction. It conferred citizenship to former slaves, established the principle of equal protection, addressed state action, and granted Congress the power to protect individual rights. These provisions laid the foundation for legal challenges to segregation, discrimination, and other forms of racial injustice in the years that followed.