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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Wikipedia A decision by the United States Supreme Court that ruled that African-Americans brought to the U.S and held as slaves, or their decendants (whether slaves or not) were not protected by the Constitution and were not given rights of U.S citizens. Congress also does not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories. -
13th Amendment
The Library of Congress - WebguidesThis amendment declared that slavery shall not exist within the U.S..."Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States." -
14th Amendment
The Library of Congress - Web guidesThis amendment granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, inlcuding former slaves. It also forbade States from denying people life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws. -
15th Amendment
Wikipedia This amendment prohibits the government from denying citzens the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servtitude (whethe or not they were slaves). -
Plessy v. Ferguson
OyezThis case established that separate faciilities for blacks and whites were constiutional as long as they were equal - providing the same provisions for each person. -
19th Amendment
WikipediaThis amendment prohibits the State and federal government from denying ctizens the right to vote based on gender. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment This amedment was created to make sure that women and men have equal rights under the law. This act was first propsed in 1923 and was considered to be the next necessary step after the 19th amendment, but currently with only 35 states ratifying out of the necessary 38, this amendment has not been passed. -
White Primaries
WikipediaThese were primary elections in the southern states in which non-white voters could be prohibited from participating. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Wikipedia. This case worked to establish that schools that separated black students from white students and denying black children the same equal rights priovided to white children was unconstitutional. -
Affirmative Action
Wikipedia Affirmative Action refers to policies that consider race, ethnicity, physical disabilities, military career, gender, and social class when deciding employment, educational opportunities, and health programs. Court cases such as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke have fought against affirmative action, while others have fought in support of it. -
24th Amendment
Wikipedia This amendment prohibited Congress and the States from requiring poll taxes - a fee on voting. This measure was in place to prevent African-Americans from voting, but with this amendment they were allowed the right. -
Poll Taxes
Travel and History - Poll TaxPoll taxes are taxes that are imposed at the time of voting and was used especially in the south in order to prevent African-Americans of lower income from participating in the voting activities and elections. This activity was outlawed on January 23, 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Wikipedia This was a landmark piece of legilstation of the U.S that outlawed unequal voting registration requirements and racial segregation at schools, workplace, and public facilities. -
Voting Rights act of 1965
WikipediaThis act works to outlaw voting practices that encourage discrimination - Congress intended to outlaw the requirement of qualified voters to have to pass a literacy test, in order to vote. Acting like the poll tax, these literary tests were working to prevent African-Americans from voting. -
Reed v. Reed
Wikpedia This case worked to establish equal protection for women in regards to estates. This case dealt with a family that had separated and upon the child's death the mother was not granted equal rights to the child's estate simply based on her sex. It was with this case that women were now allowed to have the same access to the these items as men. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
WikipediaThis case established the constitutionality of affirmative action but it requires such usage to not create other regulations or standards for these students compared to others. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Oyez In this case, the courts decided that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy, and the states had a right to outlaw these practices. The courts only protect rights not easily identified in the constitution when those rights are deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
WikipediaThis act prohibits discrimination based on disability, similar to the civil rights act but dealing with people with disabilities. Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Duke LawThis case overturned the Court’s decision in Bowers v. Hardwick. It declared a Texas law prohibiting sexual acts between same sex couples to be unconstitutional. The majority believed in a right to privacy for same sex couples, just as the right of privacy applies to heterosexual couples and states can not control that right.
