Which Reconstruction-era amendment guarantees citizenship by birth and due process under the law?

• A. Amendment 14
• B. Amendment 18
• C. Amendment 13
• D. Amendment 15

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how citizenship and legal protections are defined in the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified during Reconstruction in 1868, makes anyone born in the United States a citizen and requires states to follow due process of law before depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property. It also provides equal protection under the law. This combination—birthright citizenship and due process protections—is why this amendment fits the question.

This amendment was part of a broader effort after the Civil War to secure rights for newly freed Black Americans and to ensure that federal guarantees extended to all citizens. The other options address different issues: one abolished slavery, another protected voting rights regardless of race, and the last established Prohibition later in U.S. history.