-
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was originally a slave in Missouri, and then moved to Illinois with his owner. At the time Illinois was a free state, and so when his owner moved back to Missouri and died he claimed that he was a free citizen. When he took this case to the Supreme Court they ruled against Dred Scott, claiming that they did not have jurisdiction on the case. They said that they could not rule on Scott's case because by the Constitution he was not considered a U.S. Citizen. -
13th Amendment
On January 31, 1865 congress passed the 13th amendment which abolished slavery. This amendment passed shortly after the Civil was had ended, but prior to the southern states being re-entered into the union. The final vote for the amendment in the House was 119-56 -
14th Amendment
Passed on July 9, 1868 the 14th amendment was passed and guaranteed that anyone born in the U.S. was to be considered a U.S. Citizen (including former slaves). It also gave them all equal protection in the eyes of the law. It was the second amendment of three amendments passed shortly after the Civil War, now called the Reconstruction Era. This amendment established a lot of civil and legal rights for African Americans. -
15th Amendment
Passed on February 3, 1870 gave African Americans the right to vote. It stated that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." The 15th amendment was also the third amendment passed during the Reconstruction Era, however, it did not prohibit discriminatory practices when it came to voting. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
After Louisiana created the Separate Car Act, Homer Plessy was sitting in a white car and was asked to leave. He decided to challenge this segregation saying that it violated his 13th and 14th amendment. The Supreme Court actually ruled against Plessy, and the precedent of "separate but equal" was created. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was passed on August 18th, 1920 and gave women the right to vote. -
White Primaries
White primaries were primary elections held mainly by the Democratic party in many southern states which allowed only white people to vote. These primaries were held up until 1944 when the supreme court declared these primaries unconstitutional after Texas had passed a law that prevented African Americans from participating in such primaries. -
Brown v. Board of Education
After Oliver Brown was denied access into public schools, claimed that the segregation within public schools was unconstitutional, and violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled in favor of Brown and stated that “separate but equal” was not in fact equal, and thus schools would be desegregated. -
Poll Taxes
After the civil war and before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, voters had to pay a tax before they cast a ballot. The only people who were exempt from this tax, were poor white men who had voted or had a family member vote prior to the Civil War. This tax was imposed in order to keep African Americans from voting after the 15th amendment was passed. -
24th Amendment
After the Civil war Amendments such as the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were added to abolish slavery, and give African Americans their rights which included voting. These amendments did not, however, limit discriminatory practices from occurring. Many sates included poll taxes in order to keep African Americans from voting during elections. The 24th Amendment put a stop to this, and prohibited states from having poll taxes or having any sort of test to "qualify" voters. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Legislation that was passed that made it illegal in public places to segregate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This legislation was first proposed by John F. Kennedy after many protests. While this act was met opposition with the opposition of many southern members of congress, it was officially passed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. -
Voting Rights Act 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed poll taxes, literacy tests, and any discriminatory actions that would prevent someone from registering to vote. The law was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, and made it easier for African Americans to register to vote (especially in southern states). -
Reed v. Reed
An Idaho Probate Code made it so that men were preferred when it came to determining estate administrators. So, Sally and Cecil Reed wanted to be named the administrator of their son's estate. Sally had to challenge for this in the Supreme Court stating that it violated the 14th amendment. The court agreed unanimously in favor of Sally and agreed that it violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution. -
Equal Rights Amendment of 1972
First proposed in 1923 by the National Woman's Party 50 years prior, the Equal Rights Amendment of 1972 was passed by the senate. Due to a rise in conservatism in the 1970s, the amendment that would have created legal equality and prevented discrimination between sexes, was not officially passed to become the 27th amendment. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke had been rejected from the University of California's medical school twice despite having higher test scores than the 16 minorities who were admitted through their affirmative action program. He argued that this was discrimination and violated his 14th amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bakke. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was arrested by Georgia police for being caught for partaking in consented sexual relations with another man. At the time these actions were considered criminalized sodomy. Hardwick believed this was unconstitutional and it reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Hardwick stating that the Constitution did not protect against these sodomy laws. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was officially passed by George H.W. Bush in 1990 to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. This act prevented discrimination when it came to employment, transportation, public accommodations, communication and access to state and government benefits. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act was an expansion of voting right signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993. This act made it easier for citizens to register to vote where they get their drivers license, the postal service has to mail voting materials, and many state/local offices have to operate as voting locations during elections. -
Lawrence v. Texas
The Houston police were responding to a reported weapons disturbance when they found John Lawrence engaging in sexual acts with another man. Similarly, to Bowers v. Hodges, Lawrence claimed that this arrest violated the 14th amendment. What is different with this case in comparison to Bowers v. Hodges is that in a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lawrence. They stated that the Texas laws violated the Due Process Clause. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Many same sex couples in states such as Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Texas believed that the refusal to accept same-sex marriages violated the Equal Protection clause and Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. In a 5-4 decision from the Supreme Court, they Court ruled that the 14th amendment gave you the right to marry, and legalized same-sex marriages. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is when organizations seek to include groups that may be underrepresented in terms of education and employment. The first major affirmative action plan took place in 1961 when John F. Kennedy with the creation on the Committee on equal Employment Opportunity. In a more recent decision, however, was the Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin where the court decided that affirmative action is legal under the Equal Protection clause.