Garret Epps. Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Equal Rights in Post-Civil War America

In the spring of 1866, Congress drafted what would become theFourteenth Amendment—a promise of citizenship and civilrights for all Americans regardless of race. However, the Redeemeryears following its ratification blurred its importance, illuminatedlatent racial prejudice, and then provided for the failure ofcivil rights—not normally the makings of a success story.Yet, despite the racial issues of this nation, the FourteenthAmendment has remained a part of the Constitution—readyto serve its duty to