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Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott case validated the idea that people could be property. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment basically abolished slavery. It let former slaves be citizens and were no longer considered property. Any form of involuntary servitude was made illegal. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment protects the basic rights of every citizen of the U.S. It gave rights to slaves/former slaves who previously were not considered citizens. It also defined what it means to be a naturalized citizen. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment protects a citizen's right to vote. A state may not deny a person to vote because of their sex or race. This allowed more black people and women to have the right to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case validated the concept of "Separate but equal". Black and white people were allowed to be segregated, but only if each space was equal in quality. This was later eliminated by the Brown v. Board of Education case. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment prohibits discrimination based on sex. It protects the equal rights between men and women. This means people can't be denied service, employment, etc. purely because they are a man or a woman. -
White Primaries
White primaries were mainly in the Southern states, where only white people were allowed to go to. This was an attempt to keep black people from voting in elections. These were outlawed in 1944 because it was blatant racial discrimination. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case decided that the concept "separate but equal" was unconstitutional. Black and white students in public schools had been segregated in a school system in Kansas, and they argued it was unconstitutional. They won the case, and public schools were no longer allowed to segregate between races. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action was put in place to level the playing ground for privileged and underprivileged individuals in the workforce. It helped women, people of color, disabled people, LGBT people, and immigrants get the same opportunities as white males or other privileged individuals. This means employers cannot choose employees based on race, gender, etc and only by qualifications. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment outlawed poll taxes in elections. Originally, it would keep poor white people and most black people from voting. This law allowed more black people to vote if they could not afford it before. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were meant to keep black people from voting in elections. Not many black people were very wealthy during this time, so this meant mostly rich white people would vote. Poll taxes were eliminated in the 24th Amendment, allowing poor white people and black people to have the opportunity to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act was one of the progressive Civil Rights laws ever passed. It legally prohibits any racial or sexist discrimination, most importantly, but also by religion or nationality. It was a major improvement in making black and white people less segregated and more equal. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act gave African American citizens better accessibility to voting rights. Southern states, in particular, would force ridiculous tests and requirements for black people in order to keep them from voting in elections. The Voting Rights Act protected their right to vote and guaranteed that they should be able to, regardless of what state law might say. -
Reed v. Reed
This case addressed discrimination on the basis of sex. When deciding who owns/manages an estate between 2 people, originally a male would be preferred over a female. Now it is unlawful to decide who gets what purely based on sex. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment aimed to eliminate discrimination based on sex. It would legally protect (mainly) women from discrimination due to being a woman. It was approved in 1977. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This case decided that Affirmative Action was okay, but could not be used to meet racial quotas. It was meant to level the playing ground between privileged demographics and minorities. But, employers began hiring people of color to balance diversity to look good rather than hiring the most qualified. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case was about the privacy of intimate activity between two consenting homosexual adults. It had banned any (consensual) sodomy in same-sex relationships in Georgia. Later, it was overturned by Lawrence v. Texas. -
ADA
The ADA protects the rights of citizens with disabilities. This keeps businesses, facilities, etc. from discriminating against someone because they are physically or mentally disabled. For example, public places are required to have ramps to accommodate people who use wheelchairs. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This case was about the privacy of same-sex couples in Texas. It was ruled that laws criminalizing intimacy between homosexuals were a breach of privacy and unconstitutional. The government could not dictate the activities between two consenting adults of the same sex. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This case ruled that same-sex marriage should be legal. States had the ability to pass laws that banned it or do not recognize these marriages. It was decided 5-4 that this was unconstitutional.
