Which amendment addresses the right to equal protection under the law?

The Fourteenth Amendment is significant because it explicitly guarantees the right to equal protection under the law. Ratified in 1868, this amendment was a pivotal part of the Reconstruction era following the Civil War and aimed to secure civil rights for recently freed slaves. Its equal protection clause mandates that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws." This has served as a foundation for many civil rights cases and continues to be a vital aspect of American constitutional law.

The Fourth Amendment, which deals primarily with protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Fifth Amendment concerning due process and self-incrimination, and the Tenth Amendment that emphasizes federalism by stating that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people, do not specifically address equal protection under the law. Therefore, the fourteenth amendment is uniquely positioned as the correct choice regarding equal protection rights.