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13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment caused the end of slavery in the United States. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. Finally it was adopted for our country on December 6, 1865. The 13th Amendment was the start of the Reconstruction Amendments created after the Civil War. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was the second out of three Reconstruction Amendments passed following the Civil War. This amendment guarenteed citizenship rights and equal protection. The southern states in the United States were forced to ratify this amendment to regain representation in Congress. It was adopted to the United States on July 9, 1868. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment prohibits federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote. Accoording to this amendment, citizens could vote despite race, color, or "previous condition of servitude". It was ratified on February 3, 1870. The 15th Amendment was the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments to be ratified. -
Jim Crow Laws
The Jim Crow Laws were laws passed between 1876 and 1965. These laws made racial segregation legal. They were based on the mentality of "separate but equal". The Jim Crow Laws were enacted on the state and local level governments. This racial separation led to conditions for African Americans that were far less superior to the conditions White Americans enjoyed. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes emerged around the time that the Jim Crow Laws did. After the 15th Amendment was passed, members of all races could vote. Many southern states used poll tax as a way to restrict the amount of eligable voters. These restrictions sometimes also included a Gandfather Clause, this "allowed any adult male whose father or grandfather had voted in a specific year prior to the abolition of slavery to vote without paying the tax". -
Literacy Tests
Literacy tests were a government practice to judge the eligibility for voting. The literacy tests were unfair to the African American freed slaves. The literacy tests lasted from 1890s - 1960s. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a court case that upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal". The court case was argued on April 13, 1896. It was later decided on May 18, 1896. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. This amendment prohibited any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. States were allowed to decide the qualifications of women. -
Korematsu v. United States
The Korematsu v. United States case made a desicion concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II regardless of citizenship.This case was argued October 11-12, 1944 and decided December 18, 1944. -
Sweatt v. Painter
The Sweatt v. Painter case was a U.S. Supreme Court case that challenged the "separate but equal" mentality of racial segregation established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896. The case involved a black man who was denied admission to the School of Law of the University of Texas. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was the case that declared public school segregation unconstitutional. This case overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson court case in 1896. The decision stated "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.". -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest. It spanned from December 1, 1955 to December 20, 1956. Rosa Parks was the beginner of this movement when she refused to give her bus seat up to a white person. Following Ms. Parks example protesters continued actions such as these for over a year to protest segregation. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or people applying for employment on the basis of "color, religion, sex, or national origin. Affirmative Action has been prevelent in our history since 1961, and still continues today. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment prohibits both Congress and states from conditioning the right to vote. It eliminated the poll tax for federal elections. It was proposed to the states by Congress on August 27, 1962. It was later ratified by the states on January 23, 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was a legislation passed that outlawed discrimination over race, color, religion, sex, or origin. It ended unequal voting registation rules, racially segregated schools, unequal employment opportunities, and unequal public facilities. The Civil Rights Act was enacted July 2, 1964. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Congress later had to amend the Act five times to expand its protections. The Act was passed at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. It was signed into law on August 6, 1965. -
Robert Kennedy Speech in Indianapolis
Robert F. Kennedy gave a speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was given on April 4, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana. There were many faers and concerns for Kennedy's safety but he spoke despite these concerns. -
Reed v. Reed
In the Reed v. Reed case, a separated couple argued over their deceased son's estate. The adopted son of Cecil and Sally Reed died, and both parents wanted to be named administrator of his estate, The Idaho Probate Code specified that "males must be preferred to females" in appointing administrators of estates. This case was argued on October 19th, 1971. A decision was made on November 22, 1971. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The Case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was argued on October 12, 1977. The case involved upholding affirmative action. It allowed race to be a factor in the college admission policy. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was an amendment to the constitution created to guarantee the rights for women. In 1972, it passed both houses of Congress and went to the state legislatures for ratification. The amendment was later ratified by March 22, 1979. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
The Supreme Court case, Bowers v, Hardwick, was argued March 31, 1986. A decision was made on June 30, 1986. The verdict was to uphold the constitutionality of a Georgia Sodomy Law which criminalizes sex privately between consenting adult homosexuals. This decision was later overturned in 2003. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Many years later, in 2009, the amendment was later amended with changes. -
Lawrence v. Texas
In the Lawrence v. Texas case, the Supreme Court decided to strike down the sodomy laws in all the states. This case made same-sex sexual activity legal in every U.S. state and territory. It was argued on March 26, 2003 and decided June 26, 2003. -
Fisher v. Texas
Fisher v. Texas was the case that oncerning the affirmative action admissions policy of the University of Texas at Austin. This cases decided whether or not race as a factor in college admissions was constitutional. The case was argued on October 10, 2012 and decided June 24, 2013. -
Indiana's Gay Rights Court Battle
A court battle is currently being decided whether or not to be taken to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will decide whether they want to take on the case on September 29 of this year.
