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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri. From 1833 to 1843, he lived in Illinois & the Louisiana Territory. Slavery wasn't allowed there by the Missouri Compromise. He went back to Missouri & filed for freedom since he felt living in free territory made him a free man. He lost that case & went to federal court. The majority decided that "a negro" or slave descendant couldn't be a citizen and had no right to sue in federal court. They also said Congress had no power to ban slavery in US territories. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment was on of the most important amendments that was ever ratified because it abolished slavery. It also abolished "involuntary servitude" which means people couldn't be forced to work under someone who has more power. This amendment also stated that congress has the power to apply this if it passes legislation. Since this amendment was ratified right after the civil war, it was key to the reconstruction period for the United States. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment was ratified after the Dred Scott court case was decided because people were giving unequal rights to African Americans. This amendment gives citizenship to anyone who is raised in the United states or is born in the united states. This even included slaves. The purpose of this amendment is to stop states from denying equal citizenship to anyone under the law. -
15th Amendment
After African American men were freed from slavery, they got some freedom but not total freedom. They still did not have the right to vote like white men had. This is why the 15th amendment was ratified which gave African Americans, even ones who were previously slaves, the right to vote because the United States is not allowed to deny anyone from voting based on race, religion and more reasons. Though this was passed, they still did not get total freedom due to the Jim Crow Laws. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In Louisiana, the Separate Car Act was passed, segregating train cars. In 1892, Homer Plessy, who was 1/8th African American, was asked by the Comite des Citoyens to challenge the act by sitting in a "white" car. When asked to vacate the whites-only car, he refused and was arrested. His lawyers argued that the act violated the 13th and 14th amendments. However, the court ruled in favor of the act, and found that segregation was legal as long as both vicinity are equal. -
19th Amendment
When the 15th amendment was ratified, African American men were given the right to vote, but when the 19th amendment was ratified, this gave women the right to vote. This amendment was passed after many generations of rallying in conjunction with women doing everything they could to get this right. After this amendment, women were still discriminated against so the National Women's party created a new amendment: the Equal Rights Amendment. -
White Primaries
African Americans did technically have the right to vote under the 15th amendment and other acts that were passed. However, in the 1920s, white people in the South found a way to take their votes away. White Primaries were a way that the democratic party could exclude the African Americans from being a part of their party. To this, the southern states made specific requirements for voting and intimidated the African American people when trying to vote as well causing many disputes. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case was the sum of cases arising in many states and Washington D.C. relating to the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. In each of the cases, African American students had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on race. The students argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The court ruled unanimously that separate but equal educational facilities were inherently equal and therefore violated the 14th Amendment. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is the practice or policy of favoring individuals of minorities that usually face racial discrimination. It is intended to eliminate and prevent unlawful discrimination. It first appeared in its current form when President Kennedy passed Executive Order 10925, mandating that employers must treat their employees the same no matter what race, color, or nationality. It was a topic in the Supreme Court many times, such as Regents of the Univ. of Cali. v. Bakke. -
Poll Tax
Poll taxes began in the 1890s to keep African Americans from voting in southern states. Essentially, it required eligible votes to pay a poll tax prior to casting a ballot. However, the grandfather clause excused some poor whites from paying if they had an ancestor who voted prior to the Civil War. This concept was prohibited in 1964 by the 24th amendment. 5 states still enforced paying poll taxes for state elections until 1966 when the Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional. -
24th Amendment
It took many decades to finalize voting rights for African Americans. They eventually had the right to vote, but some were not allowed due to the fact that they were too poor. The 24th amendment was made so that this was not allowed anymore. This stopped "poll taxes" in federal elections so that all men could vote. After this was passed, 5 states still did not follow this and allowed taxes on polls. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prior to this act, segregation occurred in every public place. Those who were not white males were treated differently in all aspects of life. This act was created to get rid of segregation and discrimination in public places. Though this act did not end all discrimination, it was a start to a much needed change in the country. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
African Americans were not allowed to vote in federal and local elections for many decades until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. This act (along with the 15th amendment which gave African Americans the ability to vote) stopped the prevention of African Americans from voting. After this act was signed, the voter registration discrepancy of African Americans voting decreased. -
Reed v. Reed
The Idaho Probate Code specified that men be preferred over females when deciding the head of an estate. After the death of their son, Sally and Cecil Reed, who were then separated, both sought to be named the administrators of his estate. The law named Cecil the administrator, and Sally challenged this law in court. In a unanimous vote, the court held that the law's unequal treatment of men and women was unconstitutional and violated the Equal Protections Clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Because women were still getting discriminated against for voting, this amendment was proposed, but was never ratified.The Equal Rights Amendment gives all US citizens the same legal rights, for example in their jobs, regardless of their sex. This was mainly directed towards women, in hopes to give them the same legal rights as men. When was attempted to be integrated into the constitution, it was 3 votes short, so it did not get fully ratified. This is still not a federal law. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke was a 35 year old white man who applied to Medical School at the Univ. of Cali. twice and was rejected. He found out about the school's affirmative action program, where 16/100 spots were reserved for "qualified" minorities annually. Bakke sued because his qualifications were much better than any of the minorities. The court ruled that the school admit Bakke, but didn't end the school's program. The court minimized white opposition while extending gains for racial minorities. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was caught in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy by a police officer in Georgia where homosexual sodomy was illegal. Hardwick brought it to the Federal District Court, but they ruled that he failed to state a claim and court was dismissed. On appeal, the appeals court reversed and remanded, holding that the statue was unconstitutional. It then went to the Supreme Court where the court decided that acts of sodomy were not protected by the Constitution. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The American with Disabilities Act (or ADA) was signed by George H. W. Bush. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all public spaces, such as school, work, transportation, etc. It guarantees similar civil rights protections to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, color etc. The ADA also guarantee equal opportunities for disabled people. In 2009, the ADAAA, or ADA Amendments Act went into effect, which redefined what the term "disability" meant. -
Lawrence v. Texas
In response to a reported weapons disturbance, Houston police entered John Lawrence's apartment and saw him engaging in consensual sexual activity with another man, Tyron Garner. They were arrested and convicted of deviate sexual intercourse by the state of Texas. The case went to the Supreme Court and they overturned Bowers v Hardwick, claiming that state laws forbidding homosexual acts were illegal and in violation of the Due Process Clause of the 14th amendment. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The case was a summation of many cases that had been occurring in many states. The case questioned whether the 14th Amendment require a state to license a same-sex marriage, and whether it required states to recognize a same-sex marriage legally licensed by another state. In a 5-4 vote, they ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, holding that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment guarantees the right to marry as one of the fundamental liberties it protects, including for same-sex couples.
