Which Reconstruction Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law?

Which Reconstruction Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law?

• A. The 14th Amendment
• B. The 11th Amendment
• C. The 15th Amendment
• D. The 13th Amendment

Answer: (A)

The key idea is who counts as a citizen and how the law protects everyone equally. After the Civil War, the United States used the Reconstruction Amendments to secure rights for newly freed people. The Fourteenth Amendment does two essential things: it defines who is a citizen—any person born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen—and it guarantees equal protection of the laws to all people within the country, with due process limits on state actions. In short, it ensures that citizenship is protected by law and that laws apply equally to all citizens, not just some groups.

The other amendments address different issues: one abolishes slavery, another extends voting rights regardless of race, and another limits lawsuits against states. But when it comes to establishing both citizenship and equal protection under the law, the Fourteenth Amendment is the one that fits best.