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14th Amendment passed
This is the amendment passed allowing citizenship to be given to all people "born or naturalized" in the United States, including those who had been formerly enslaved. It also called for "equal protection under the law." This was a huge step for the United States in the way of equality, even though at this point this amendment wasn't exactly enforced to a high degree. -
15th Amendment Passed
The fifteenth amendment to the United States constitution is passed, allowing eligible males of any race to vote. This represented major progress in creating more equal rights for non white citizens of the United States. More than ever before, they had an opportunity to make their opinions known. However, not everyone was happy with this development and white voters had the majority. -
Congress passes The Indian Appropriation Act
The Indian Appropriation Act of 1871 marked Indian Americans as wards of the state rather than members of separate nations that were to be negotiated with. The land that had belonged to these Indian American tribes no longer belonged to them. The passing of this act served to increase the amount that had been taken from this group of people, and increased tensions. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The passing of this act meant that no immigrants from China were to be allowed for 10 years. Chinese immigrants had been arriving in large numbers to find work, resulting in tension and violence among these immigrants and white workers. Though these immigrants fought against the act and the discrimination they faced, they couldn't go to court and generally didn't have enough power to stop what was being done. Tension continued as discrimination against Chinese immigrants ramped up. -
NAWSA founded
NAWSA (National American Women's Suffrage Foundation) is founded. This group was led by women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony during its run, and picked up a large number of supporters. The group played a big role in the 29th amendment being passed 30 years later. Though this movement generally had a positive impact, it did suffer from some amounts of racism, as the rights of non white women were not exactly the main goal. Picture: Leaders at a meeting in Washington. -
Geary Act Passed
This act served as a continuation of the Chinese Exclusion Act, banning almost all immigrants from China from entering the US permanently. With the continuation of the previous act, the discrimination against Chinese immigrants continued. -
Plessy V. Ferguson Case
This case began with a black man named Homer Plessy violating a law keeping train cars segregated. Saying that this law was unconstitutional, he brought his case to his state court, and after losing, he appealed to the Supreme Court. There, it was confirmed that segregation of white and black people was legal, and not unconstitutional. Though this case did not technically change anything officially, it served as a confirmation that black citizens were still far from having their full rights. -
NAACP founded
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded in 1909 in response to ongoing violence toward black Americans throughout the US. The goal of this organization was to advocate for equal rights among all races. This did mark something of a change, as the group gained large numbers and became basically the largest civil rights organization in America, one of the only at the time. Picture: Some original members of the NAACP -
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Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a revival of African American art, music, literature, and many other things taking place in Harlem New York. This was able to introduce some people from other backgrounds to these things and maybe gain a better appreciation of them than they had before. As well as providing this, it was an area where primarily black families lived and could feel more at home in than in other areas. -
19th Amendment Passed
The 19th Amendment allowed eligible white women to vote in the United States. Many years of fighting for these rights finally paid off, although non white women were yet to be included. This marked a major change in the dynamic of women in the US, giving them the opportunity to hold more power than they ever had before. Picture: newspaper announces the ratification of the 19th amendment -
Indian Citizenship Act passed
The right of citizenship was finally offered to all Indian Americans, rather than just a select few. Although this act could not restore what had already been taken away from the American Indian tribes, they at least had a greater opportunity of being part of the nation they had been forced into. Picture: a photo taken the day this act was passed -
Executive Order 8802
This order, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, banning discrimination against people of color in the work force, another step toward what would hopefully be equal rights for all races in the United States.This was not necessarily made as a change to any previously made law, but as a reminder.
