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The United States Constitution And Its Fundamental Laws

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The United States Constitution is unarguably the most imperative document regarding the United States and its citizens. The Constitution establishes America’s government and its fundamental laws we live by today. It fulfills and guarantees our basic rights as United States citizens. Within the constitution, the laws are split up into amendments which clarify and secure our privileges. Among those decrees lies the Fourteenth Amendment: which is the most important, yet controversial, one of all. The Fourteenth Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws. This amendment foresees what it means to be a United States citizen and the protection and rights you deserve from the government. Ironically, controversy and debate has surrounded this amendment; which was proposed to create unity and security within the U.S. Since it originated in 1868, many different court cases have debated the literal meaning of being a United States citizen and the rights it entails. Some have even attempted to rewrite the original amendment to fit one’s desires, though none have prevailed.
In the final years of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, the Congress had repetitively deliberated the rights of many former black slaves; whom were freed due to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. After years of deliberation, Congress decided to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which guaranteed citizenship, no regard to race, color, or occupation. This caused many

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