Quote:
Originally Posted by rubberneck
States rights have been dead since July 8th 1868. Slavery was evil but it should have been excised with a scalpel not an atomic bomb.
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14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” By directly mentioning the role of the states, the 14th Amendment greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment.
Is this what you are referring to? The topic of slavery could have a whole thread all to itself .