Table of Contents
Foreword 11
Amendment Text and Explanation 14
Introduction 18
Chronology 26
Chapter 1 Historical Background on the Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment Confirms That African Americans Are Indeed U.S. Citizens Akhil Reed Amar 32
The Fourteenth Amendment Emerged Out of an Earlier Civil Rights Act Kenneth L. Karst 41
It Is Absurd to Consider Former Slaves Anything Other than Full Citizens James F. Wilson 49
The Fourteenth Amendment Would Establish Federal Despotism over the Individual States A.J. Rogers 55
Reconstruction Inspired Political Debate and Public Violence Eric Foner 60
The Fourteenth Amendment Will Help America Fulfill Its Promise Thaddeus Stevens 70
America Committed Itself to Citizenship for People of All Ethnicities Earl Warren 76
Chapter 2 Testing the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause
The Fourteenth Amendment Ensures Citizenship to All People Born on U.S. Soil Horace Gray 84
The Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause Is Contrary to Legal Tradition and Sets a Dangerous Precedent Melville Fuller 93
A Naturalized U.S. Citizen Cannot Have His or Her Citizenship Taken Away Without Consent Hugo Black 98
The Fourteenth Amendment Does Not Guarantee Citizenship in All Circumstances John Marshall Harlan 107
Individual States Cannot Deny Public Education to the Children of Undocumented Immigrants William Brennan 114
Chapter 3 Citizenship Controversies in Contemporary America
The Fourteenth Amendment's Guarantee of Birthright Citizenship Should Be Changed Ron Paul 125
Current Debates over Citizenship for Immigrants Recall Arguments from Earlier Times Garrett Epps 129
Illegal Immigrants Abuse the Fourteenth Amendment by HavingBabies in the United States Dmitri Vasillaros 135
Recent Immigrants and Their Babies Are No Threat Priscilla Huang 139
The Fourteenth Amendment Allows for Dual Citizenship and Divided Loyalties Allan Wall 143
Despite an Increase in Dual Citizenship, Most Immigrants Are Loyal to the United States Michael Barone 148
Appendices 154
A The Amendments to the U.S. Constitution 156
B Court Cases Relevant to the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause
For Further Research 159
Index 162
