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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave who escaped and was living in Illinois where slavery wasn't allowed. He went to Mississippi with a lawsuit that he should be a freeman because he lived somewhere slavery was outlawed. The main question came down to whether a former slave or descendant of a slave could be considered an American citizen. The court's decision was that a person in that situation was not an American citizen and therefore couldn't file a lawsuit to gain freedom and the case was dismissed. -
13th Amendment
In very basic terms the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. It also abolished involuntary servidtue except as a form of punishment. It was finally ratified by all the states in 1865. This amendment came in the aftermath of the Civil War and was following the Emmancipation Proclimation proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln. However, Lincoln didn't get to see his plan through though because he was assisnated several months it was finally ratified. -
14th Amendment
Ratified in 1868, the 14th amendment gave U.S citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. It included those who were previously slaves, and it gave all citizens equal rights under the law. The amendment also made sure that states didn't abolish the rights of anyone and treated everyone equally. This amendment was one of three that were created during the reconstruction period. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was the final amendment in a group of 3 that were created during the reconstruction period. The amendment states 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.” It simply means that everyone has the right to vote no matter what, well except for women. This amendment allowed all men to vote no matter their race or ethnicity. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
The Plessy V. Ferguson case was a landmark court case that racial segregation was legal as long as the facilities were equal in quality. An important saying that came from this case was "separate but equal". This case allowed for Jim Crow laws and other separate public accommodations that were very commonplace. This case was so important because it basically stated that segregation was constitutional. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. It came at the moment of the suffrage movement. The suffrage movement lasted a long time and in a different case as many other movements had a successful ending with the end goal being achieved. This amendment finally allowed all U.S citizens the right to vote. However, many were still discriminated against when it came to actually voting. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The case of Brown v. Board of Education was a monumental case that said that segregation was not allowed within public schools. it said that segregation was unconstitutional even if the buildings were considered equal in quality. This case basically overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case because it said that equal but separate was not enough and that everyone has the right to the same type of education. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited the discrimination of anyone based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It is also specifically based on forbidding discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. It was also very important because it ended segregation in public places. The act is considered one of the crowning moments in legislation during the civil rights movement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The main purpose of this act was to enforce the 15th amendment. There was still a big problem in the South people discrimination on who could vote by using literacy tests and prerequisites to voting. These issues were still a problem caused by the Civil War, and they were never properly solved. This act was ratified 95 years after the 15th amendment was ratified. -
Reed v. Reed
The Reed v. Reed case helped to strengthen the 14th Amendment in creating gender equality. The case dealt with an Iowa law that gave fathers a right over mothers when it came to the estate of a deceased child. The US Supreme Court ruled "that the administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes." -
Title IX
This law was passed as part of the educational amendments in 1972. It is a Civil Rights law that has to deal with prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal funding. This law protects all students from sex-based discrimination no matter if it is academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs of the school. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the supreme court ruled that it is unconstitutional for Universities to use racial quotas during the admission process. However, they did say that "a school's use of "affirmative action" to accept more minority applicants was constitutional in some circumstances." So simply it stated that race can still be a factor in a Universities admission process. -
Americans with Disabilites Act
In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted 1990 and prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination in several areas such as employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government' programs and services. The ADA protects those with mental and physical disabilities and helps to protect them with their everyday activities. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the supreme court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause. The right to same-sex marriage is also protected by the Equal Protection Clause. Both of these are from Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This case made sure that all states recognized same-sex marriages.