|
Actually, from what you said your boss is partially correct in his knowledge about the Amendment. Yes, the 14th Amendment was passed to insure citizenship for former slaves. It's one of 3 amendments (also the 13th and 15th) that are referred to as the "Civil War Amendments" because they were passed shortly after the Civil War and were meant to change the references in the Constitution that allowed slavery (such as the infamous 3/5 clause), support civil rights for former slaves, and force the South to abandon the Black Codes many former Confederate states in an attempt to continue to oppress blacks.
Since there seems to be some confusion about what the 14th Amendment says, here it is:
Amendment XIV
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. 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; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
For many people the most controversial part of the Amendment was its gender specific language that excluded women from the right to vote (section 2).
To those poster that think this amendment would have automatically excluded their ancestors from becoming citizens--no. This did not exclude immigrants from citizenship, it merely affirmed that people born in the U.S., and those who were naturalized citizens (the case with most immigrants) were citizens of the United States.
Your boss is likely correct that the Constitution would need to be amended if the government were to decide to disallow people born in this country automatic citizenship.
BYW, I believe you when you say he isn't a jerk--we do disagree with each other here at DU, doesn't always mean the other guy is bad.
|