Which amendment granted birthright citizenship and equal protection under the law?

• A. 13th Amendment
• B. 15th Amendment
• C. 14th Amendment
• D. 19th Amendment

Answer: (C)

The 14th Amendment is the one that enshrines birthright citizenship and guarantees equal protection under the law. Ratified in 1868 during Reconstruction, its Citizenship Clause states that anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen, which extended full citizenship to newly freed African Americans and others. It also includes the Equal Protection Clause, which requires states to treat people in similar situations equally, along with the Due Process protections that prevent laws from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without fair procedures. This combination created a legal framework for civil rights that went beyond the earlier amendments. The other amendments focus on different issues: the 13th ends slavery, the 15th protects voting rights regardless of race, and the 19th protects voting rights regardless of sex.