The Fourteenth Amendment is important because it recognizes the citizenship rights of African Americans. Essentially, the amendment grants legal and voting rights to all African Americans.

The Fourteenth Amendment is made up of five sections. The first section grants citizenship rights to anyone born or naturalized in the United States. It also specifies that no citizen can be deprived of "life, liberty, or property" without due process.

The second section guarantees all males (who are at least twenty-one years of age) voting rights. It also states that the government must count "the whole number of persons in each state" to assign representation to Congress. In other words, both white and African American populations must be counted.

The third section states that no one can be elected to office if they participated in "insurrection or rebellion" against the government. After the Civil War, this section prevented Confederate soldiers or politicians from holding elected office.

The fourth section guarantees that the government will pay all its debts. This section was especially significant after the Civil War. It specifically stated that no state should pay any debts incurred as a result of "insurrection or rebellion." Furthermore, any slave-owner who lost slaves would not be reimbursed for their loss. The fourth section of the Fourteenth Amendment stated that claims for these two types of debts would be held "illegal and void." 

The fifth section proclaims that Congress has every power to enforce the specifications of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Fourteenth Amendment is important because of its citizenship, due process, and equal protection clauses.