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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott filed a suit for his freedom after returning to Missouri after living in a free state. He argued that he should be a free man, but the court turned him down and ruled that even if they made it to a free state, slaves were slaves and still didn't have the rights of an American citizen. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to everyone born in the US. Also included equal protection -
15th Amendment
Granted African American men the right to vote -
Poll Taxes
A fixed fee used to prohibit people from voting, typically African Americans -
White Primaries
Primary elections held in the South that only allowed white people to vote -
Plessy v. Ferguson
A case that said that state-mandated segregation didn't violate the 14th amendment. Led to usage of the phrase "separate but equal". Case was based off of the "Separate Car Act" in Louisiana, in which black people and whites were required to use separate railway cars. -
19th Amendment
The right to vote cannot be taken away on the basis of gender -
Brown v Board of Education
Consolidation of multiple cases concerning segregation based on race. Black students were being denied admittance into certain schools because of the laws concerning race and public education. They argued that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment, and were denied in lower courts based on Plessy v. Ferguson. However, the court ruled that separate but equal facilities were in fact unequal and violated the Equal Protection Clause -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibited discrimination based on race, gender, religion, national. origin, and color -
24th Amendment
Got rid of the poll tax. It stated that citizens of the United States had the right to vote in any election and cannot be denied based on inability to pay a poll tax. Helped to combat discrimination in voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Did things such as ban literacy tests among others. Aimed to prohibit racial discrimination in voting -
Affirmative Action
Intended to establish fair access to employment opportunities to groups that have been known to be discriminated against -
Reed v Reed
There was a law in Idaho that gave preference to men over women when it came to administering estates. This law was challenged under the Fourteenth Amendment. The court ruled that this treatment was unconstitutional and giving preference to one sex over the other was forbidden by the equal protection clause. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Was an amendment designed to guarantee equal rights to all American citizens regardless of sex. It would make men and women equal when it came to divorce, property, etc. Helped ensure these rights would always be protected and could not be infringed upon by Congress. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
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Bowers v. Hardwick
Micheal Hardwick was caught having gay sex and was charged with violating a Georgia statute. Hardwick said this was unconstitutional and filed a case, receiving writ of certiorari. The Supreme Court said there were no constitutional protections against sodomy -
Americans with Disabilities Act
A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on a disability. This includes areas like employment, transportation, public accommodations, etc. -
Motor Voter Act
Required states to follow certain voter registration rules. They had to provide people with the opportunity to register at motor vehicle agencies. Helped disenfranchised people -
Lawrence v. Texas
John Lawrence was caught having gay sex and was arrested based on a Texas statute. He said it was unconstitutional based on the Fourteenth Amendment The court sided with him, thus overturning Bowers -
Obergefell v Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their states for refusing to recognize/allow same-sex marriage and argued that it violated the Fourteenth amendment. The court decided in favor of gay marriage, citing the due process clause and that the right to marry was protected under this.