Which amendment guarantees citizenship to persons born or naturalized in the United States and provides due process and equal protection?

• A. The First Amendment
• B. The Fourth Amendment
• C. The Fourteenth Amendment
• D. The Sixth Amendment

Answer: (C)

This amendment establishes citizenship by birth or naturalization and guarantees due process and equal protection. The Citizenship Clause says that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the state where they reside. The Due Process Clause protects individuals from being deprived of life, liberty, or property without fair legal procedures, and the Equal Protection Clause requires that laws be applied equally to all people. Together, these provisions ensure that people born here or who become citizens through naturalization have full citizenship rights and are safeguarded by due process and equal protection under both federal and state laws. The other amendments focus on different rights—freedom of expression, protections against unreasonable searches, or rights of the accused—not on citizenship or the broad guarantees of due process and equal protection.