Welcome
Chapter
3-14th Amendment
Have you ever looked at a picture with hidden images drawn inside of a larger image? There is one optical illusion of a young lady in a gown, but when you look at it a little differently, you can see a picture of an old woman. The fourteenth Amendment is a bit like that. When you first read it, it sounds straight forward, especially when viewed in historical perspective of President Lincoln after the civil war. However, I will present you a glimpse of the other picture, the ugly truth about the 14th Amendment, and how it relates to all of us today.
To build the complete picture of the 14th Amendment, we need to take into consideration the things that led up to the drafting of the amendment. We have been taught that the civil war was fought over slavery; which is partially correct, more accurately; however, it was fought over discriminatory trade laws against the south, and in the end, over money. (I do not agree with slavery of any kind, especially as was common during the time of the framers, however, I make the following observations of the nature of slavery during the early years to contrast the law during that time and where we are today.) When the six southern states joined the union, laws were established which allowed the slave states to continue slave ownership. From their writings we can see that slave owners believed they were as much protector as they were bondsmen.
In their declaration to cede from the union, the Confederates explained that because of Lincoln’s election, and his stance to absolve slavery, the south felt betrayed. The congressional representatives from the northern states bound together to pass laws on the southern states which moved them toward the abolition of slavery. The south believed that the actions of the northern states to overrule the laws within the southern states was unconstitutional, and Texas felt betrayed because the federal government would not provide aid against the “ruthless savages” in it’s fight with Mexico. This was also the era of the underground slave railroad which helped transport runaway slaves from the south -- a time when skirmishes broke out and many southerners were killed. The South felt betrayed when those accused were not tried for their actions. This created a further divide between the north and south.
Have you ever looked at a picture with hidden images drawn inside of a larger image? There is one optical illusion of a young lady in a gown, but when you look at it a little differently, you can see a picture of an old woman. The fourteenth Amendment is a bit like that. When you first read it, it sounds straight forward, especially when viewed in historical perspective of President Lincoln after the civil war. However, I will present you a glimpse of the other picture, the ugly truth about the 14th Amendment, and how it relates to all of us today.
To build the complete picture of the 14th Amendment, we need to take into consideration the things that led up to the drafting of the amendment. We have been taught that the civil war was fought over slavery; which is partially correct, more accurately; however, it was fought over discriminatory trade laws against the south, and in the end, over money. (I do not agree with slavery of any kind, especially as was common during the time of the framers, however, I make the following observations of the nature of slavery during the early years to contrast the law during that time and where we are today.) When the six southern states joined the union, laws were established which allowed the slave states to continue slave ownership. From their writings we can see that slave owners believed they were as much protector as they were bondsmen.
In their declaration to cede from the union, the Confederates explained that because of Lincoln’s election, and his stance to absolve slavery, the south felt betrayed. The congressional representatives from the northern states bound together to pass laws on the southern states which moved them toward the abolition of slavery. The south believed that the actions of the northern states to overrule the laws within the southern states was unconstitutional, and Texas felt betrayed because the federal government would not provide aid against the “ruthless savages” in it’s fight with Mexico. This was also the era of the underground slave railroad which helped transport runaway slaves from the south -- a time when skirmishes broke out and many southerners were killed. The South felt betrayed when those accused were not tried for their actions. This created a further divide between the north and south.
After the 1860 Election of President Lincoln, seven states formally ceded from the United States to form the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861. They elected Jefferson Davis as their first president. The first seven states united were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. After President Lincoln called up troops on 15 April, 1861, four more states joined the confederacy: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, bringing the total to 11 states.
