Why did Republicans in Congress feel that the 14th amendment was necessary? They worried the wealthy southerner planters would not comply with the civil Rights act. They worried that President Johnson would not enforce the civil rights act. They worried that the south would secede from the union again. They worried that the supreme Court would find the civil rights act unconstitutional.
The main reason Republicans in Congress felt that the 14th amendment was necessary was because they worried that President Johnson would not enforce the civil rights act. Johnson, who was Southern and had strong ties to the Southern Democrat establishment, was not fully supportive of civil rights for freed slaves in the South. Therefore, Republicans believed that enshrining the principles of equality and due process in the Constitution through the 14th amendment was necessary to ensure that these rights would be protected regardless of who was in the White House. The amendment also aimed to address the issue of wealthy Southern planters not complying with the civil rights act and to prevent the South from seceding from the Union again. Additionally, there were concerns that the Supreme Court might find the civil rights act unconstitutional, so the 14th amendment was seen as a way to reinforce and solidify these rights in the Constitution.
