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Learning Objectives

  • Explain what the Equal Protection Clause does and to whom it applies
  • Describe a reason the 14th Amendment was created
  • Apply the Equal Protection Clause to scenarios
  • Identify a change in American society that the Equal Protection Clause helped create 

 

Overview

Learn about one of the hardest working passages in the U.S. Constitution: the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Students learn why the clause was created and discover how it has been used to expand civil rights. After, students analyze how the extension of equal protection rights has changed American society.

How to use this lesson: Use this lesson by itself or pair it with more iCivics resources, like the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and a variety of lessons from our Landmark Library. For suggestions, see the downloadable teacher resources below.

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