The 14th amendment is designed to constitutionalize the rights of the civil rights act of 1866. The 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution.It transformed the Constitution forever. And it's at the heart of what many scholars refer to as America's "Second Founding. This interactive guide to the US Constitution provides the original text and an explanation of the meaning of each article and amendment. The Fifth Amendment says to the federal government that no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. The primary source documents on this page highlight pivotal moments in the course of American history or government. In short, Prop One and its added suspect classes threatens to throw New York civil rights law into chaos. The Massachusetts convention also ratified the Constitution with an attached list of proposed amendments.