July 9th, the ratification of the 14th amendment, is reminder of the continuous fight for freedom | Opinion

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This is perhaps the most important sentence in all of American history. It is the promise that is meant to undergird the entire system and structure of American life. It is how the founders chose to introduce the world to the United States of America on July 4th, 1776.

But for nearly 100 years following the Declaration of Independence, Black people in America were almost universally denied these so-called unalienable rights. Nothing about their lives gave any indication that this newly formed country acknowledged the self-evident truth of their equality.

At the end of the civil war in 1865, roughly 4 million Americans were enslaved, with no right to life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.

Last month, we celebrated Juneteenth here in Franklin, just as millions of Americans did all around the country. At gatherings large and small, we commemorated June 19th, 1865, an incredibly important day in our history.

This was the day the United States military – a full 2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and 2.5 months after the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox – announced and enforced the emancipation of the last enslaved Americans.

But is it fair to call those finally free men, women, and children Americans?

To be sure, they were endowed by their Creator with the same rights, value, and dignity as any other. The truth of their fundamental equality was indeed self-evident. But these enslaved people were excluded from citizenship, and thus were not legally Americans at all.

This brings us to another date equally worthy of celebration in America: July 9th, 1868.

It was on this day, 92 years after the Declaration of Independence, that congress ratified the 14th Amendment to the constitution, finally guaranteeing the full rights, privileges, and protections of American citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.”

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Here is the first section of the 14th Amendment in full:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

As a matter of patriotism, July 9th is a date all Americans should all know and celebrate, since it marks the day that it was finally defined what it means to be an American.

Sadly, we have to acknowledge that the 14th Amendment, powerful and essential as it was, did not establish equality in practice, though it did lay the foundation for it. While a plain reading appears to codify that equality into law, those in power have often attempted to sidestep its application to that end.

Where the specific right to vote was concerned, more clarity would be added in order to further cement the effects of the 14th via the 15th and 19th Amendments, which went on to explicitly prohibit any denial or abridgement of the right to vote based on race or gender in 1868 and 1920, respectively. Even still, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was necessary, as many jurisdictions continued to circumvent these constitutional protections. And the struggle for equal rights continues to this day.

But today, July 9th, let’s pause to celebrate this great nation once again, reflecting on another pivotal step toward the fulfillment of the promise we celebrate on each year on July 4th. It is the 14th Amendment that guarantees your access to the rights, privileges, and protections of being an American. And that’s worthy of celebration.

Jeff Stewart is a Franklin resident, Liberty Elementary parent, and board member of One WillCo, a local nonprofit advocating for a great public school experience for all children in Williamson County.  

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why we must also celebrate the ratification of the 14th amendment