An interesting and educational thread. Thank you for posting it.
I have a question. The equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, if I understand correctly, guarantees that all are equal before the law. How else is this essential type of equality guaranteed by our Constitution? Or, was that left up to the States?
Well, states had to give rights to citizens of other states, but not "equal protection".
In fact, the Bill of Rights DID NOT apply to states until the 14th Amendment. That meant that States did not have to respect your first or second amendment rights; of course, many states had constitutions that protected these rights...