Answer:
Laws protecting civil rights
Step-by-step explanation:
The ratification of the 14th Amendment allowed Congress to pass laws protecting civil rights because this amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States for the first time (which included former slaves), it guaranteed the right to due process of law and the equal protection of laws so that people be treated fairly and it prohibited states to make or enforce laws that abridge the privileges or immunities of U.S. citizens.