Which amendment defined citizenship and equal protection under the law?

• A. The 15th Amendment
• B. The 14th defined citizenship and equal protection
• C. The 13th Amendment
• D. The 19th Amendment

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how citizenship is defined and how the law protects people equally. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified after the Civil War, does both. It states that anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen, which sets the basic definition of citizenship. It also includes the Equal Protection Clause, requiring states to treat people equally under the law and not discriminate. This combination was meant to ensure that newly freed African Americans were recognized as citizens with rights and that governments couldn’t pick and choose who gets protection under the law. It’s a foundational step in civil rights, and it also links to due process, extending many protections to individuals against state actions.

The other amendments address different issues: ending slavery, protecting voting rights for Black men, and extending voting rights to women, respectively.