Answer:
The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment was a reflection of the historical context surrounding the late 19th century as it banned slavery in the United States, granting civil rights to African Americans, which was one of the main issues over which the Civil War was fought just 2 years before.
Explanation:
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is one of the post-Civil War amendments, and includes, among others, the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause. It was proposed on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868.
The amendment provides a broad definition of national citizenship, which overrides the decision of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), who had excluded slaves and their descendants, from possessing constitutional rights. It requires states to provide equal protection before the law to all persons (not just citizens) within their jurisdictions. The importance of the Fourteenth Amendment was exemplified when it was interpreted to prohibit racial segregation in public schools in the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
