Question 9 Points 1 How has the 14th Amendment played a crucial role in shaping civil rights and equal protection in the United States? By granting voting rights to all citizens regardless of race By establishing the principle of birthright citizenship Guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression Retection under the law for all citizens Rem

The **14th Amendment** has been pivotal in shaping civil rights and ensuring equal protection in the United States. Among the options provided, the most accurate role of the 14th Amendment is: **By ensuring protection under the law for all citizens** ### Explanation: - **Equal Protection Clause**: The 14th Amendment includes the Equal Protection Clause, which mandates that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws." This clause has been the foundation for numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions that have advanced civil rights, such as **Brown v. Board of Education** (which ended racial segregation in public schools) and **Loving v. Virginia** (which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage). - **Due Process Clause**: It also contains the Due Process Clause, which prohibits states from depriving any person of "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." This has been used to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states, ensuring broader protection of individual freedoms. ### Other Options: - **Granting voting rights to all citizens regardless of race**: While the 14th Amendment laid the groundwork for later voting rights legislation, the **15th Amendment** specifically addresses voting rights by prohibiting denial based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. - **Establishing the principle of birthright citizenship**: This is indeed a significant aspect of the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause, which grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. However, in the context of shaping civil rights and equal protection, the Equal Protection Clause has had a more direct and profound impact. - **Guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression**: These freedoms are primarily protected under the **First Amendment**. The 14th Amendment does play a role in applying these protections to the states, but the direct guarantee stems from the First Amendment itself. ### Conclusion: The **14th Amendment** has fundamentally ensured that all citizens receive equal protection under the law, thereby shaping the landscape of civil rights in the United States. **Correct Answer:** **By ensuring protection under the law for all citizens**