Ace the Chicago Police Department Exam 2026 – Suit Up to Serve and Protect!

The 14th Amendment is significant because it explicitly states that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States. This amendment, ratified in 1868, was part of the Reconstruction Amendments aimed at securing rights for former slaves and ensuring that citizenship could not be denied based on race or previous condition of servitude.

The citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment provides a clear affirmation of birthright citizenship, establishing that anyone born on U.S. soil automatically becomes a citizen, regardless of their parents' nationality or immigration status. This has had a profound and lasting impact on citizenship laws and civil rights in the United States.

In contrast, the other amendments mentioned do not address citizenship directly. The 5th Amendment primarily concerns legal rights in criminal proceedings, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, and the 15th Amendment pertains to voting rights regardless of race.