Why did the Republicans in Congress feel that the Fourteenth Amendment was necessary?
They worried the wealthy southern planters would not comply with the Civil Rights Act.
They worried that President Johnson would not enforce the Civil Rights Act.
They worried that the South would secede from the Union again.
They worried that the Supreme Court would find the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional.
1 answer
The Republicans in Congress felt that the Fourteenth Amendment was necessary because they were concerned that the South would not fully comply with the Civil Rights Act, and they wanted to enshrine the rights of freed slaves and ensure their protection under the law. Additionally, they wanted to prevent the Southern states from denying African Americans citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. The Fourteenth Amendment was seen as a way to provide a constitutional guarantee of these rights and prevent any potential legal challenges to the Civil Rights Act.