For this paper, you are encouraged to choose a topic (I already choose the topic – graduate researcher

For this paper, you are encouraged to choose a topic (I already choose the topic. Equality and the Fourteenth Amendment )that you find interesting.
Additional Instructions
Because this is an undergraduate-level research project, all papers must include the following:
1. An introduction with a thesis statement. The thesis is the main question/argument that frames your paper.
2. A body composed of supporting details backed by appropriate research. This paper should not just be your opinion on a given topic – it is a requirement that your essay is grounded in scholarly research, with all sources cited in MLA format.
3. A conclusion that summarizes the implications of your argument.
4. Proper spelling, grammar and mechanics.
Here is roughly 200 word abstract explaining what questions I want to answer with the research and why I am i interested in exploring this topics.
Equality and the Fourteenth Amendment
From the ancient times during the era of slavery to the reconstruction, equality has been an issue that has tormented American society. From the phrase that all men are created equal, there have been issues about equality as the phrase did not mean all men, but a section of people that were considered the real people and the rest as inferior beings. The research will discuss how equality has evolved and what it is in recent times, and how the Fourteenth Amendment changed people’s civil liberties after the civil war ended.
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “All men are created equal,” and the meaning of this phrase has only spiked confusion and ambiguity as it is not known what he meant. The meaning can only be interpreted from his life and the land’s policies during his reign and even after that. The phrase and the perception of freedom expressed during that era were hypocritical as men surrounded Jefferson. He only had to give orders, and they would do what he wanted, whether they wanted it or not (Hilson, n.p.). He owned at least six hundred enslaved people, and as a result, it becomes clear that by all men, he meant all white men, excluding black men. The Fourteenth Amendment changed the way things were done as it applied to all men, whether African American or white. It granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in America, and therefore enslaved people became citizens who had rights (History.com Editors, n.p.). Equality from the declaration of independence era to the current society only meant race during those years. However, in contemporary society, it concerns equality in gender, disability, and even sexual orientation.
In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson came up with the phrase that all men are created equal amidst struggles about slavery, which showed that only white men were equal and black men were considered as lesser beings. The Fourteenth amendment changed it all after it stated that black people, just like white men, were equal citizens of America. Equality has also evolved as it originally referred to only racial equality, but now it also applies to gender and sexual orientation.