14th Amendment Vs 5th Amendment

The Constitution is an extremely important document to our country. As such, over the years we have made changes (amendments) to it in order to keep up with society’s changes. At the time when the Constitution was signed and enacted, many people were not included in the statements of this agreement. The 14th Amendment ratified it so citizens were considered as “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” which includes formed slaves (“14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution”, 2015). It also forbids states from denying anyone “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. In addition to broadening the definition of a citizen, by mentioning the state’s role in this document it expanded the protection of civil rights to all …show more content…
They also both limit the power of the federal and state governments by not allowing them to discriminate against citizens. The 5th amendment describes the federal standpoint on rights and the 14th deals with state government’s side. The 5th amendment involves equal protection and ensuring that no person can be detained in jail for a felony crime without a grand jury indictment, tried for same crime twice or forced to testify against themselves. All these things deal with due process and the assurance of fair and reasonable legal proceedings (Baumeyer, n.d.). A person can’t be deprived of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness without due process. In addition, the Miranda rights are provided under the 5th amendment, which further ensure proper due process and protects a person’s right to liberty. Due process in the 5th amendment happens through court proceedings and protects someone suspected of a crime. With the 14th amendment, due process is a given right to limit the governments interference with, and control over, personal affairs of the …show more content…
There is much evidence that proves just that. People are set in their ways, and often take offense when someone tries to question them or tell them the things they believe in or support are wrong. This reluctance to chance and a sort of stubbornness or righteousness of people are just part of the reason why it took over 100 years, and a lot of fighting, to bring such important change to equality for women, other races, and both of these groups in regards to voting. The only way to bring about change is to get involved, make a stand, show your support and make your voice heard in any way you can. Many brave people over the years have had to go against all odds and face a lot of hardship and backlash in order to get the rights they should have had from the start. Ultimately, the government has the power and it is the people’s job to show our government and society what we want and deserve as human beings and how we want to live our lives. The 60s was a time when people took action to get what they wanted (“The Tumultuous 1960s”, n.d.). African Americans were unhappy with their treatment so they staged sit ins, freedom rides, and had peaceful protests to challenge their treatment. Their efforts paid off with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This example inspired women to fight for equal opportunities and treatment as well. Women wanted to have a better place in society than they had, and