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Dred Scott v Sanford
Dred Scott began working as a slave, but later moved to Illinois, which slavery recently was banned in due to the Missouri Compromise. The controversy of this was whether or not Scott should be allowed to file as a free man. This case persisted through several courts until eventually it reached the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court ruled against Scott, this case overall angered abolitionists and later influenced the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment which freed slaves. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States and was passed after the Civil War before the confederate states were restored into the Union. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to any person born in America and forbade states from restricting basic rights of humans or citizens. It's primary goal was to establish equal rights for former slaves. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote, but there was still discrimination which prevented blacks from voting, especially within the Southern States. -
Poll Taxes
A poll tax is a payment required by mostly African Americans in order to vote. These were created after the establishing of the 15th amendment, which allowed African Americans the right to vote. -
White Primaries
The White Primaries were primary elections in the Southern states where only white voters were allowed to participate. They were used as a form of disenfranchisement of African Americans. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was jailed after he sat on a "whites only" car of a train. This case was taken to the Supreme Court and established the view of being "separate but equal." This case stated that segregation itself doesn't show unlawful discrimination. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. It prohibited states from denying someone the right to vote based on their sex. It was ratified after the woman's suffrage movement -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to guarantee equal rights regardless of sex. It was passed by Congress, but not ratified by enough states, so it never passed. This was because it divided members' of the movement by class. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education banned segregation in schools and argued that segregation was unequal. This case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. It was argued to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Actions are positive steps that should be taken to ensure equality. It’s a policy in which one’s race, sex, religion or national origin are taken into account to increase opportunities provided to an underrepresented part of society -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment prohibits Congress and states from charging poll taxes, which was a tax where voters had to pay money each year in order to vote in an election. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on someone's race, religion, sex, or natural origin. It also forbade the use of federal funds for any discriminatory program -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned literacy tests and other voting practices that promoted discrimination making it much easier for African American voters to vote. It removed barriers within America -
Reed v. Reed
Sally Reed and Cecil Reed were a couple who had separated. They were in an argument over who got their deceased sons estate. Idaho code stated that males were preferred over females, but Sally took this case all the way to the Supreme Court. They ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibited differential treatment of sexes. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke applied to the University of California twice and was denied both times. The school reserved 16 spots for "qualified' minorities. Bakke exceeded those qualifications, but was denied because of his race. This was taken all the way to the Supreme Court and ruled as illegal to have a racial quota for students. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Two homosexual men were found in their own home having consensual sex and were arrested. They took their case to the Supreme Court where the Supreme Court ruled against the two men because Georgia's anti-sodomy laws were found as constitutional. -
Americans with Disability Act
The Americans with Disability Act prohibited discrimination towards any form of disability, mental or physical. This is applied in all areas of public life, such as jobs. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Similar to Bowers v. Hardwick, police responded to a call and entered a private residence, where they found two men having consensual sex. They were arrested for anti-sodomy laws of Texas. When taken to the Supreme Court, these were found as unconstitutional. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This case required all states to issue same-sex marriage licenses and to recognize same-sex marriages. This established same-sex marriage throughout the United States. It was a major milestone within US History
