The Fourteenth Amendment addresses many aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. Ratified in 1868, Congress and the courts have applied the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to many aspects of public life over the past 150 years.To help ensure the rights of newly freed blacks, the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868. 1 Native Americans; 1.2. Scholar Exchange: Battles for Equality in America: The 14th Amendment. We must look to see if the interest is within the Fourteenth Amendment's protection of liberty and property. Black, A New Birth of Freedom 74-75 (1997). The 14th Amendment was the result of local struggles and national debates on the political status of AfricanAmericans in the wake of slavery and the Civil War. Following the end of the Civil War, two constitutional provisions were ratified to protect the right of African Americans to vote. WHEREAS, The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all.