Final answer:
Kentucky was the state that initially refused to ratify the 14th Amendment, which was crucial for providing citizenship and equal protection under the law.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state that refused to ratify the 14th Amendment initially was Kentucky. During the period of Reconstruction, this amendment was critical for establishing citizenship and equal protection under the law for all individuals born or naturalized in the United States.
The Fourteenth Amendment was a significant step in overturning the Dred Scott decision and ensuring that state laws could not deny due process or discriminate against particular groups of people. After the Civil War, before Southern states could be readmitted into the Union, they were required to ratify this amendment as part of the Reconstruction Acts.
Despite the reticence from Southern states, the amendment was eventually ratified on July 9, 1868, contributing to the reshaping of the United States constitutionally and socially after the Civil War.