The Equal Protection Clause derives from the 14th amendment and states that<em> 'no State of the United States may deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of rights'</em> .
Explanation:
The amendment provides a broad definition of national citizenship. The importance of the Fourteenth Amendment was exemplified when it was interpreted to prohibit racial segregation in public schools in the case Brown v. Board of Education.
Since the establishment of the Fourteenth Amendment the Constitution protects against the limitation of rights by state governments, even including some rights that by some were not protected from the limitation by the federal government. Under the validity of the Fourteenth Amendment, states cannot, among other things, deprive a person of his right to equal protection of the law: the Equal Protection Clause is the gradual explanation of its meaning.
It granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States equal protection of the laws. Not only did the 14th amendment grant citizenship but also extended liberties and rights by the Bill of Rights to former slaves. (source was Google ;) )
