The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on July 9, 1868, defined citizenship and guaranteed the rights of citizens. The 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution.It transformed the Constitution forever. 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. Article I. Bill of Rights. In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. UVA Law professor Bertrall Ross discusses the history of the 13th and 14th Amendments, the Dred Scott case and the SlaughterHouse cases. This on-line handbook is written for VA Certifying Officials and anyone at a school involved with certification of beneficiaries of VA education benefits. Amendment will continue to protect students in the future. 1 Native Americans; 1.2.