Society & Culture

14th Amendment – equal protection under law – celebrated February 14

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At noon on February 14, supporters of the U.S. Constitution will gather at the Vermont State House lawn for the third in a series of rallies to celebrate the Bill of Rights. Ratified in 1868, the fourteenth amendment secured liberties to newly-emancipated slaves, guaranteeing all citizens “equal protection under the law”.

The 14th amendment was one of three constitutional amendments resulting from the Civil War designed to fully eradicate slavery. The core language, crafted to protect former black slaves and ensure their full recognition as citizens, developed into a range of rights that are guaranteed under modern Constitutional law:  “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,”

The event will celebrate this bedrock of liberty on February 14 at the Vermont State House, beginning at noon. This event is organized by the newly formed Vermont Liberty Network.

“Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.”

— U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, dissenting in Plessey v Ferguson, 1896.

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2 replies »

  1. I truly hope that whoever speaks on the 14th amendment on the 14th of February will be strong in the Lord and the power of His might,for if the Word of God be left out,what will God bless?!In any case we likewise should use and protect our Constitution!!

  2. supporters of the U.S. Constitution will gather at the Vermont State House

    That in itself is debatable.

    the fourteenth amendment secured liberties to newly-emancipated slaves, guaranteeing all citizens “equal protection under the law”

    Sadly it guaranteed no such thing, since prohibition violates both the fourteenth amendment AND the “self-evident truth” of equal rights expressed in the Declaration of Independence: If any man can dictate what kind of medicine you may purchase and consume in the privacy of your own home, then your body is his property by definition — and that makes you a slave. In a practical sense, the word “physician” has become a Title of Nobility because statutory law and public policy have endowed this class of persons with special privileges and emoluments forbidden by Article I.

    “Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.” — U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan

    “Liberty lies in the hearts of men — and when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.”
    — Billings Learned Hand (chief justice, U.S. court of appeals, second circuit)