-
13 Amendment
Passed by congress on January 31,1865, This amendment abolished Slavery in the Union. This prevented the forced or involuntary use of work prohibited to the people. In addition this paved away for future laws instituted to the constitution. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment to the constitution gave citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. Its due process clause stopped states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. -
15 Amendment
The ratification of this amendment allowed men of any color to vote (did not include women). This was a huge step for America's equal rights society. While this was a Federally placed law it was into full effect until the ends of the civil rights era. -
Literacy tests
Southern states added these tests to the voter registration process in order to restrict African American voting rights, along with other measures. Altogether, these procedures made it very difficult for the black population to have a voice in national matters. -
Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the southern United States. They gave a "separate but equal" status to African Americans. The laws were an attempt by southern states to legalize segregation after the 14th and 15th amendments. They lasted from 1896 to the early 1950s. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Case of the US Supreme Court decided in 1896. It upheld state racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal". This was the precedent for over 50 years until the eventual case of Brown v. Board of Education. This was sparked when Plessy sat into a Jim Crow car and got arrested and took the case to court. The Decision was 7-1-1 in favor of Ferguson. -
Poll Taxes
By definition it is a tax levied on adults without reference or resources. These practices became very popular during the reconstruction era in the South. This was used by the majority to make "undesirable" people to vote. -
19th Amendment
the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote a right known as "woman suffrage". The 15 amendment allowed all men to vote but this one gave all women the right to vote. This is the landmark amendment that allowed over half the population to vote. -
Equal rights amendment
The ERA or equal rights amendment as to guarantee the rights of any sex. This was meant to seek out the deliberate distinction of men and women. Its also was made after the 19th amendment and served as another bridge to assure equal opportunity to women. -
Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States was a landmark case about the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II. -
Sweatt V. Painter
This case successfully challenged the separate but equal standard established by Plessy v Ferguson. This case was influential to the Brown v Board of Education case four years later. -
DeJure/DeFacto segregation
DeFacto segregation refers to separation based on color as a matter of fact, rather than by legal action which is DeJure segregation. Brown vs the board of education (1954) distinguished. between the two -
Brown V. Board of Education
A landmark supreme court decision in which the Supreme court struck down its previous decision of "Separate but Equal'. The decision was a unanimous 9-0 by the Justices and they said that integration of the schools was a protection of the people. This court case struck down the Jim Crow era. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a social protest over the transit system in Montgomery, which lasted for little over a year. Although somewhat started, what sparked the conflict was Rosa Parks arrest for sitting in her designated spot. This sparked many protests that lasted for several years that eventually lead to court cases like Brown vs. Board of
Education. -
Affermative action
Affirmative action is a policy that gives favor to historically disadvantaged groups. This policy was aimed at accomplishing equality between several groups as well as encouraging diversity and addressing past wrongs. JFK started Affirmative action when he signed executive order number 10925 on the below date. -
JFK's address to the nation about Civil Rights
This was an address that the nation to give his opinion towards the violence in the South. He concluded that all men are created equal and should be treated equally regardless of race. He also stated that the founders came from many different beliefs and for that reason African Americans should be able to go to any public institute of education. (information found at jfklibrary.org) -
24 Amendment
Prior to this Amendment some people had to pay a poll tax to vote for a federal election. This amendment prohibited the poll tax from being used. This was a tactic to prevent a certain population from voting, primarily in the south, during the southern reconstruction era. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public areas, and banned employment discrimination. It is one of the biggest achievements of the Civil Rights movement -
Voting rights act of 1965
A landmark piece of legislation that prevented racial discrimination while voting. Signed by president Johnson the piece outlawed things like literacy tests. These where made to overcome the barrier that was established at a local level and state to prevent people from voting -
Robert Kennedy's speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Kennedy told a crowd of his supporters to remain calm and rational. -
Reed v. Reed
This case ruled that the owners of estates could not be named in a way that discriminates between sexes. -
Title IX
This law eliminated discrimination in school on a basis of sex. Title 9 was a by product of the passing of the civil rights act. The act had a large effect on school sports. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This court case upheld Affirmative Action for colleges. This allowed race to be one of the factors to accepting people into college. Affirmative Action is putting quotas on something allowing ethic diversity to flow. Although you can't put a strict opinion on a certain amount of people, which is why bakke won the decision 8-1 -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case banned certain sexual activity between homosexuals in private. It was later overturned in 2003. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act is civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affected all areas of public life including school and transportation. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This decision institutionalized a law prohibiting the Texas Homosexual Conduct law. The Law made consensual same sex, intercourse within their own home. This violated the equal protections act and struct down the Texas law. The decision was 6-3 in favor of Lawrence. -
Fisher v. Texas
This is another case on whether the University of Texas was allowed to use affirmative action, as a way to benefit the diversity of the school. The Court confirmed with a 7-1 decision that the court scrutinize enough and went in favor of Fisher. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
A landmark case that allowed the LGBTQ citizens of America to be recognized as legal marriages. "The Court held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees the right to marry as one of the fundamental liberties it protects, and that analysis applies to same-sex couples in the same manner as it does to opposite-sex couples." (oyez.com) This was a 5-4 case that was in favor of Obergefell.
