Which amendment states that all persons born in the United States are citizens?

Which amendment states that all persons born in the United States are citizens?

• A. Fourteenth Amendment
• B. Fifth Amendment
• C. Thirteenth Amendment
• D. Seventeenth Amendment

Answer: (A)

Birthright citizenship is the concept being tested. The Fourteenth Amendment includes the Citizenship Clause, which says that 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 where they reside. This establishes that being born on U.S. soil makes you a citizen, a principle often called birthright citizenship. It was added after the Civil War to secure citizenship for former slaves and their descendants and to ensure equal protection under the law. The other amendments listed do not define citizenship by birth: one addresses due process and protections for people within the legal system, another abolishes slavery, and another changes how senators are elected. Therefore, the amendment that states birthright citizenship is the Fourteenth Amendment.

Birthright citizenship is the concept being tested. The Fourteenth Amendment includes the Citizenship Clause, which says that 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 where they reside. This establishes that being born on U.S. soil makes you a citizen, a principle often called birthright citizenship. It was added after the Civil War to secure citizenship for former slaves and their descendants and to ensure equal protection under the law. The other amendments listed do not define citizenship by birth: one addresses due process and protections for people within the legal system, another abolishes slavery, and another changes how senators are elected. Therefore, the amendment that states birthright citizenship is the Fourteenth Amendment.