This is an excellent historical perspective on the 14th Amendment to the U.S .Constitution. Professor Ross describes it as Congress' peace treaty to the South. That is quite accurate. He also notes that it only came about because of a fun...damental conflict between President Johnson and Congress over how to handle reconstruction. 
Lectures in History: Andrew Johnson & the 14th Amendment | C-SPAN 
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Text of the Fourteenth Amendment
