Strengths and Weaknesses of the 14th Amendment in the Constitution of the US Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Generally speaking, the major strength of the 14th Amendment is that it ensured the equal distribution of rights amongst the citizens of the United States. One of these rights that were equally distributed by the 14th amendment was the right to citizenship that has been outlined in the Citizenship Clause. The clause states that individuals who experienced birth within the United States were to be considered as citizens of the United States. Due to this law, all the individuals belonging to the minority section of the United States, especially those who belonged to the black race were even considered as American citizens. Before this amendment, individuals belonging to the black race were considered as a slave and were treated in an inhumane manner. Due to this clause, the individuals belonging to the white race were not able to discriminate against the blacks. Another right that was protected by the 14th Amendment was the right to be considered as a single citizen of the United Stat es. This right is protected under section 2 of the 14th amendment which states that every individual should be considered as a single individual and not as a portion of an individual. We will write a custom essay sample on Strengths and Weaknesses of the 14th Amendment in the Constitution of the US or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Before the 14th Amendment, the slaves were considered as 3/5 of a human being and due to this their representation and their votes were less in number (Shannon 106). This helped in increasing the vote count of the United States and it even ensured that the citizens of the United States received equal representation in the government of the United States. Another major strength of the 14th Amendment is that it ensured the equal distribution of rights amongst the citizens of the United States. One of these rights that were equally distributed by the 14th amendment was the right to citizenship that has been outlined in the Citizenship Clause. The clause states that individuals who experienced birth within the United States were to be considered as citizens of the United States.