Which amendment's Section 5 grants Congress the power to enforce civil rights through appropriate legislation?

• A. Fifth Amendment
• B. Fourteenth Amendment, Section 5
• C. Sixteenth Amendment
• D. Seventeenth Amendment

Answer: (B)

The power to enforce civil rights through appropriate legislation is granted to Congress by Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. This provision allows Congress to pass laws aimed at remedying or preventing violations of the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees—equal protection and due process—by the states. That is why Congress could enact civil rights laws to address state-sponsored discrimination and ensure these constitutional rights are protected in practice. The other amendments mentioned do not contain a Section 5 that authorizes federal enforcement of state civil rights through legislation, and they concern different topics (for example, the Sixteenth deals with taxes and the Seventeenth with the mode of selecting Senators).