-
Dred Scott Vs Sanford
A slave from Missouri, who lived in Illinois a free state. He tried to sue for his and his family freedom but was denied the rights of American Citizens because he was "property" -
13th Amendment
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the US. -
14th Amendment
All persons born or naturalized in the US and subject to the jurisdiction are citizens on the United States. -
15th Amendment
The right to vote can be denied for African American men in the United States. -
Poll Tax
Poor Men and African American men could not afford the poll tax and added bias to results. This also was used alongside the literacy test. -
White Primaries
Primary elections in which only white men could vote. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. -
19th Amendment
Voting Shall not be denied based on sex. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In 1954-55 May 31st, 1955, it was realized that “separate but equal” was not fair nor equal for civil rights. Brown’s case focused on the rights related to segregated schools and the Little Rock Nine in 1955 and kept the idea for desegregation. -
Affirmative Action
This is the requirement by law that protects and takes steps forward for civil rights. Including: women, African Americans, the disabled, and more. -
24th Amendment
Citizens can vote in any primary and can not be denied. Poll taxes were also prohibited by this amendment and allowed for a wider variety of voters in the states rather than rich, white men. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This would later deal with other common social issues present in America with unequal rights. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prohibits racial discrimination in voting. -
Reed v. Reed
Idaho was designating men to be the administrators of estates October 19th, 1971. The state believed that males were to be preferred to females. This violated the 14th amendment and the court decided that sexism/unfair treatment due to sex was unconstitutional and that both members should be able to have hearings. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Proposed that all American citizens were guaranteed equal rights regardless of their sex. This looked to remove legal distinctions between men and women regarding: divorce, property, employment, and more causes. This was passed and sent for ratification on March 22, 1972. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke had applied to the University of California Medical School at Davis twice and rejected both times as the school reserved sixteen places for minorities. This was part of the affirmative action program and was seen as unfair. Bakke contained a higher GPA and test scores than the minority students and he was rejected. This led him to believe that he was out at a disadvantage due to his race. It was found that the school violated the Equal Protection Clause found in the 14th amendment. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was caught with another man in his house and was then was charged with sodomy (Georgia). In the court case, Hardwick failed to make a claim and it was dismissed. Hardwick’s viewed this as unconstitutional; however, the court found that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act of 1990 (July 26th) prohibits discrimination against people who have disabilities of any type in all public and private areas that are open to the public.These rights are similar to those of color, race, sex, origin, religion, age, and requires equal opportunity for all disabled individuals. -
Lawrence v. Texas
John Lawrence’s house was entered because there was a report of weapon disturbance on the premises. When the officer entered, Lawrence was found with another man, Tyron Garner, and both of them were arrested for violating the law for same sex intercourse in the state of Texas. This was told as unconstitutional due to the 14th amendment in the Bowers v. Hardwick case. This overstated the former statement and said Lawrence and Garner were free adults and were allowed to engage in private conduct. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Supreme Court held a decision that same-sex marriage is protected under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Since other states were allowing same-sex marriage, it had the few other states agree to this statement. Also, it meant that people also have the right to deny the marriage due to their beliefs.
