July 28, 2026
The landmark addition extended vital legal safeguards to newly freed individuals.
On July 28, 1868, the United States officially adopted the 14th Amendment. This landmark addition guaranteed citizenship, equal protection, and due process rights to anyone born or naturalized in the country, extending vital legal safeguards to newly freed individuals.
Beyond granting birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection to formerly enslaved individuals:
- It overturned Dred Scott, which had previously denied Black Americans citizenship.
- It repealed the 3/5ths Clause of Article I, altering how congressional representation was calculated.
- It disqualified former Confederate leaders who had broken oaths to the Union from holding public office.
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