Black Owned Wall Street

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was written specifically to protect formerly enslaved Black people after the American Civil War.

After slavery was abolished, Southern states were passing laws (called “Black Codes”) that limited the freedom of Black Americans. The 14th Amendment was meant to:

• Make sure they were recognized as full citizens
• Protect them from unfair state laws
• Guarantee equal treatment under the law

So while its protections apply to everyone today, its original purpose was to secure rights for freed slaves and their descendants, who were being denied basic rights at the time.

Over time, courts expanded its meaning, and now it’s used to protect many different groups—but its roots are very much in the struggle for Black civil rights after the Civil War.