The original text of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on July 9, 1868, defined citizenship and guaranteed the rights of citizens.The amendment ratified November 2, 1976 and effective January 1, 1977—In paragraph two, substituted "be" for. 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. One of the purposes of the Fourteenth Amendment was to provide federal protection of individual rights against the states. Search this collection to find debate on the 14th Amendment (H. This is a detail of "Article XIV" of the U.S. Constitution that passed both houses of the U.S. Congress in June 1866. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is one of the nation's most important laws relating to citizenship and civil rights. What is the 14th Amendment and how has it been applied throughout history?