“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
14th Amendment, Section 1, United States Constitution (1868)
On 4th of July, to celebrate the the birth of the United States as an independent nation … to celebrate freedom, I decided to sit down and start watching a program that a friend recommended about the 14th Amendment. What better way to celebrate freedom and equality?
The 14th Amendment is often cited in litigation to the United States Supreme Court. The Citizenship Clause, the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, and the Equal Protection Clause of this amendment continue to be interpreted and re-interpreted by the courts as the country evolves.
As someone without any legal training, the most striking thing for me is how the fight for what this country will become happens in the courts with lawyers and legal strategy. I gained a new appreciation for legal activism. I realized how little of history that I know, and I’ve taken this as a launching point to know more. I’ve decided to leave the sanitized childhood fairy tale behind of pure good versus pure evil. Just as the movies today explore the backstory of villains and the glaring flaws of our heroes, I too face the challenge of making peace with a more nuanced history where right and wrong, good and evil, legal and illegal continue to evolve and get redefined. (For example, at the birth of this nation, the slave trade was legal. Today, it is not.)
There are many narratives out there. By definition, every story has a point of view and an inherent message by the way that it is told. I offer this as a starting point for you to begin your own exploration of history and understand the various points of view that the story can take. Check out the Netflix series, Amend: The Fight for America, hosted by Will Smith.