Civil Rights

Plessy v. Ferguson

May 18, 1856

This case was a landmark case that instituted the Separate but Equal doctrine. This began years of segregation and unfair treatment towards African Americans in the United States. This case was eventually overturned.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Mar 6, 1857

Dred Scott, a slave, lived in Free territories for 10 years. He filed a case suing for his freedom. It escalated to SCOTUS, and it was determined that Dred Scott should not have even been able to file a court case, because his ancestors were slaves and therefore he had no place in a court of law. This ended with the Missouri Compromise becoming invalidated and firmer regulations on the rights of slaves.

13th Amendment

Jan 31, 1865

This amendment made indentured servitude/slavery illegal in the United States. This caused widespread change in the entire US, but caused the biggest changes in the South. This freed all of the people who had been previously enslaved, and allowed previously freed slaves to live without the fear of being captured or caught in legal trouble.

14th Amendment

Jul 9, 1868

Any person born or naturalized in the United States are citizens. This gave all freed slaves citizenship, and gave them their basic rights as citizens of the United States. This gave Congress further power to protect African Americans, and continued to develop early Civil Rights. This Amendment most importantly refuted Dred Scott.

15th Amendment

1870

This Amendment states that the citizens of the United States can't have their right to vote impeded because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This gave the early Civil Rights movement a large amount of momentum, as it gave African Americans a voice in many states, but legislature kept many from voting in southern states.

Poll Taxes

1890

This practice was started in the late 1800s as a way to prevent African Americans from voting. Laws like grandfather clauses allowed for white voters to vote without paying.

White Primaries

1890

These were a method used by white Democrats to strip the right to vote from anyone who wasn't white. It barred minorities from voting in primaries, and gave white people a considerable hand over African Americans in representation.

19th Amendment

Aug 18, 1920

This amendment gave Women the right to vote. This gave a new voice to a movement who had been silenced a long time ago. This gave new life to women's rights, and continued to help LGBTQ+ rights

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

This case became a landmark for the Civil rights movement, as it declared Separate But Equal unconstitutional. This became grounds for a continual movement, leading to our day.

24th Amendment

Jan 23, 1964

This Amendment prevented poll taxes. It had a particular impact as it banned the practice of literacy tests, which were used primarily in the south to stop African Americans from voting. This gave a more modern civil rights movement a lot of ground, propelling them forward and giving them equal rights with voting.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

This act was the result of decades of work put in by people like Martin Luther King Jr, who actively fought for freedom of African Americans. This Act declared laws like the Jim Crow laws unconstitutional, and forced segregation to end. This act is used as a base for many modern movements, including LGBTQ+ rights.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Aug 6, 1965

This law, possibly one of the biggest pieces of Civil Rights legislature, made it illegal to restrict the vote of people based upon race. This led to a larger African American vote, and led the South into a more Republican vote.

Reed v. Reed

Nov 22, 1971

This case determined that any type of Man before Woman doctrine was unconstitutional over the 14th Amendment. This has a continual effect, and as a unanimous decision there is a requirement of equal rights law.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Jun 26, 1978

This case decided that even with the need for affirmative action, making requirements for racial quotas is unconstitutional, and that those with the highest ability should be admitted no matter their race.

Bowers v. Hardwick

Jun 30, 1986

This decision decided that there is no constitutional protection for those of certain sexual orientations to participate in sodomy. This decision was made in order to prevent Judge-made constitutional law, but was eventually overruled.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Jul 26, 1990

This act requires that businesses accommodate disabled patrons, and provide the same services to them. This act changed the way many businesses operate, and revolutionized the modern civil rights movement.

Lawrence v. Texas

Jun 26, 2003

This case determined that adults are free to exercise whatever sexual involvement they desire. This also made anti-LGBTQ+ legislature illegal, and requires that their rights are respected.

Obergefell v. Hodges

Jun 26, 2015

This case made same-sex marriage legal, and requires that it be respected. This made wide changes in the United States, and caused that many people change the way they think about same-sex relationships.

Equal Rights Amendment

2020

The ERA is a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee equal rights for everyone no matter their sexual orientation. This is a modern day event, and is on course to be ratified.

Affirmative Action

2020

This is a policy which favors those who are minorities in the workplace. This began back in the 1800s post Civil War, but has effects in our modern day, leading to many different cases in SCOTUS.