Congress shall make no law respecting anestablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging thefreedom of speech, or of the press; or theright of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including former slaves—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws."
