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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was an enslaved man living in a free state. He sued the supreme court demanding his freedom because he was living in a free state but was still a working slave. The court said that African Americans are not U.S. citizens and they don't have basic rights. Scott's freedom got denied and he had to remain a slave. -
13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment made slavery illegal in the United States forever. It also made involuntary work illegal unless as a punishment because of a crime committed. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment gives anybody born or naturalized in the United States citizenship. It also gives former enslaved people citizenship and provides all citizens with equal protection under the laws. States can't deny any person equal rights. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Citizens of the United States can not be denied the right to vote on account of their race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This court case established the separate but equal for southern states. This idea would cause segregation between races. The court said that it is constitutional if the railroad cars are equal but separate from one another. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment prohibits the United States from denying the right to vote to citizens based on their sex. This amendment is known for women suffrage. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The court case ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Schools being separate but equal in quality is also unconstitutional. This marked a turning point in history because it made an equal opportunity in education. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It gave African Americans equal access to restaurants, transportation, and other public facilities. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act made it so the states can't use literacy tests and other methods of excluding African Americans from voting. They wanted to secure the right to vote for racial minorities in the country and especially in the south. It was made to enforce the fifteenth and fourteenth amendment. -
Reed v. Reed
This court case made it so women and men would have equal chances in cases of property inheritance. Laws saying that men would inherently be favored over women would no longer be in effect. -
Title IX
This amendment prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. It also protects against sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
A white man applied for the University of California and he had great qualifications but he got rejected from the college both years he applied. The college had 16 spots out of 100 reserved for minorities.The court ruled that the college having spots reserved for minorities was a violation of the constitution. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act prohibits discriminations against citizens with disabilities in all areas of public life including jobs, schools etc. This gets us closer and closer to equal rights between all citizens. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The right to same sex marriage was illegal in multiple states, was challenged by Obergefell stating it was unconstitutional by the 14th amendment. Obergefell won and same sex marriage was legal across the United States. States have to treat the same sex couple as a normal couple.