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13th Amendment Adopted
The 13 Amendment abolished slavery and freed all slaves. This was a pivotal point in America’s history, and changed the lives of African Americans forever. This drastic change in law allowed for the rights of African Americans to be expanded over the years and led to the expansion of a national civil rights movement. -
14th Amendment Adopted
This amendment discussed the equal protection of all peoples and citizen’s rights. It was proposed and accepted in order to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves, so that they weren’t just involved in slavery under a new name. This amendment led to the fundamental foundation of several supreme court rulings such as Roe vs. Wade, which protected women’s right to do what they want, for the most part, with their own body. -
15th Amendment Ratified
This amendment granted african american men the right to vote. It stated that states were not allowed to deny citizens the right to vote based on the color of their skin, or based on the fact that they used to be a slave. This law would end up being another large pillar in the civil rights movement, not only for blacks, but for women, and homosexuals. Women were then able to use this when fighting for their right to vote, and it allowed them to gain political traction and be taken seriously. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
When the state of Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites, Homer Plessy (7/8 white), took a seat in a whites only car of a train. When he was asked to get off, he refused and was arrested. The Supreme Court decision upheld the law, saying that the separation in public facilities was not unconstitutional as long as they were “equal”. They believed that this satisfied the 14th Amendment so long as they were equal. -
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were laws that oppressed black individuals and restricted them from specific laws. It is often referred to as “slavery under a different name” as it often inhibited blacks from living a life of true freedom that was promised to them in the 13th amendment. These laws infuriated blacks, and ended up causing an entire civil rights movement lead by martin luther king jr. This movement may never have occurred had blacks simply been giving the civil rights they deserved. -
Literacy Tests
Literacy tests, like poll taxes, were used to oppress the voting rights of minorities. Literacy tests were given to these minorities, and were often long and complicated so that it was very difficult for them to pass and actually be eligible to vote. Until 1915, whites were exempt from these tests as long as they showed that they were descendent of someone who was able to vote before them. This lead to unrepresented minorities in the voting booth. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were fees that voters were required to pay in order to vote in local and national elections. These fees were purposefully used to manipulate and oppress minorities as they often didn’t have the money to pay for these fees, while it was considered a minor inconvenience for the vast majority of white people. Oftentimes minorities were rendered unable to vote simply because they had to make the choice between voting or buying food for their children. -
19th Amendment Ratified
The 19th Amendment made it illegal for states to not allow women to vote in local and national elections. Prior to this, it was left up to the states to determine who could and couldn’t vote, and most states did not allow women to vote, but after the ratification of this amendment that was made illegal. This allowed women to be seen more as equals to men and lead to them having more power in the political world. -
Korematsu v. United States
During WWII, Presidential Executive Order 9066 and congressional statues gave the military authority to exclude citizens of Japanese ancestry from areas deem critical to national defense. The question was whether or not the President went beyond their war powers by implementing exclusion and restricting the rights of Japanese Americans. The Court sided with the government and held that need to protect against espionage outweighed Korematsu’s rights (circumstances were emergency & peril). -
Sweatt v. Painter
Heman Sweatt applied to the University of Texas Law School and was rejected due to his race. When he asked the state court to order his admission, the university attempted to provide separate but equal facilities for black law students. The court argued that it would be in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and that the separate school would be inferior in a number of areas (faculty, course variety, etc.). Finally,Sweatt was required to be admitted to the university. -
Brown v. Board of Education
After several months of decision making, this case declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and it overturned the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. It concluded that separating the children did not end with them being equal. The courts decided that the segregation in public education had a “detrimental effect of minority children because it interpreted as a sign of inferiority”. This terminated all forms of racial segregation in public schools for all states. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil rights movement that started with the ever-famous Rosa Parks. Her refusal to stand up and give her seat to a white man lead to this huge movement. It ended up being a monumental turning point in the fight for black civil rights when Browder v. Gayle was seen before the supreme court, and it was ruled that the Alabama and Montgomery laws of segregated busses were illegal and unconstitutional. -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby was one of the very first black children to attend a white elementary school in the south. She played a key role in the process of integration—as without brave kids like her, that faced harassment on a daily basis for the first few weeks of their integration, integration may have never become a reality. She, along with several others, passed a test that allowed her to attend an all-white school. All of the other kids decided to not attend the all-white school she went to, so she went alone. -
24th Amendment is Passed
This amendment prohibited the government from instituting some sort of payment for voting (or registering to vote). This addressed the issue of poll taxes, which were being used mainly to oppress black men from voting as they were often unable to pay the fee (or unwilling as it was too large a sum). After the implementation of this amendment, citizens were more willing and able to vote at their leisure, which lead to a healthier representation of the country as a whole. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was essentially the pinnacle of all civil rights laws and amendments. It effectively outlawed all forms of discrimination based on sex, color, religion, or national origin. It allowed everyone to be on equal footing when voting, and helped further integrate schools in an attempt to fully end segregation. This act was a huge turning point in the fight for civil rights, and was a major victory for activists. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This landmark act banned racial discrimination in regards to voting. It carefully regulated the way in which states and local governments handled voting, and swiftly put an end to things like literacy tests that were often used to prohibit blacks or other minorities from voting. This act was effectively and expansion of the protections provided under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Affirmative Action
Some people argued that groups that have suffered invidious discrimination require special efforts to provide them access to education and jobs. President LBJ prohibited federal contractors (and more) from discriminating in employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex or origin.The significance is that it makes sure that contractors will be against employment discrimination, including implementation of plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace. -
Loving v. Virginia
In 1958, a black woman and white man (the Lovings) were married in the District of Columbia. They returned to Virginia and were charged with violating the state’s antimiscegenation statute which banned inter-racial marriages. The Court decided that the law violated the equal protection clause and held that distinctions drawn according to race were generally odious to a free people and were subject to the most rigid scrutiny under the equal protection clause. Also violated the Due Process Clause. -
Robert Kennedy Speech in Indianapolis
Kennedy had been campaigning for the presidential election, and had found out, prior to this speech in Indianapolis that day, that Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Kennedy felt it was inappropriate to simply continue with his plan to campaign, and instead took the opportunity to address the crowd with a message of peace. He urged the visibly (and audibly) upset crowd to think about what King would have wanted them to do with that anger, which was to turn it into acts of kindness. -
Reed v. Reed
After the death of their son, both Cecil and Sally Reed sought to be named administrator of their son’s estate (they were separated). Cecil was appointed and Sally challenged the law in court. This was the first time the Court declared any law unconstitutional on the basis of gender discrimination. They ruled that any arbitrary gender-based classification violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke (a white man), applied to the University of California Medical School at Davis twice and was rejected both times. The school reserved 16 places for minorities, as the school’s affirmative action program. His qualifications exceeded those of any of the minority students, which made him contend in the Supreme Court, that he was excluded solely on the basis of race. The 5-4 decision was for Bakke arguing that the school's quotas violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment, proposed in 1923, was created in order to help ensure the equal protection of women under the constitution in a myriad of ways. This furthered women’s position in the workplace as well as in the political arena. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was caught by a Georgia police officer while engaging in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy in the bedroom of his home. When he was charged, he challenged the statute’s constitutionality in federal district court. On appeal, the Court of Appeals held that Georgia’s statute was unconstitutional. Their attorney, Bowers, appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court stated that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy, and states could outlaw those practices. -
The Americans with Disabilities Act
Signed into law by George H. W. Bush, this legislation prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities will have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life. This act was created to allow people with disabilities to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods, and participate in state government programs. To be protected you much have a disability (obviously), which is defined as an impairment that limits 1+ major activities. -
Lawrence v. Texas
John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were arrested and convicted of deviate sexual intercourse in violation of a Texas statute, after police entered Lawrence’s apartment, responding to a reported weapons disturbance in a private residence. The State Court of Appeals held that the statute was not unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause. The Court said that making it a crime violates the Due Process Clause. -
Fisher v. Texas
Abigail Fisher(white), applied to the University of Texas & was denied when she competed with other non-top 10% applicants. She filed suit against the school claiming that use of race as a consideration in admission was in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The Courts agreed that it’s in violation and argued that there is nothing necessary about the benefits that flow from racial diversity in higher education, so there in no compelling state interest to promote it. -
Idiana's Gay Rights Court Battle
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Monday approved a stay sought by Indiana’s attorney general of the appeals court’s Sept. 4 ruling that found Indiana & Wisconsin’s gay marriage bans to be unconstitutional. On Sept. 29, a closed-door conference is on the high court’s agenda. It’s still unclear if the justices will decide whether to take up the issue or put it off until January. Although the ban is still in effect, the state had agreed to recognize 2 out-of-state marriages.
