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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott lived in Illinois and the Louisiana Territory. He filed suit in Missouri claiming he was a free man but lost. His master claimed he can't be a citizen via Article III of the Constitution. The Court ruled for Sandford saying descendants of someone imported as a slave can't receive citizenship and thus could not sue. They also said the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, moving to a free state doesn't mean emancipation and slaves were property (5th) and laws cant deny that right. -
13th Amendment
Slavery or forced servitude in the United States is not allowed unless used as punishment for an appropriate crime. Congress has the power to enforce this using legislation. -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to all born/naturalized people. State laws can't violate US Constitution and must use due process and provide equal protection. Also gave power to Federal government to punish states for infringing upon rights of citizens and prevented any Confederate member form holding public office without 2/3 from Congress. -
15th Amendment
Right to vote cannot be denied based off of race. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Louisiana passed a law requiring separation of black and white train cars. Homer Plessy (7/8 Caucasian) challenged this by going onto the white train car and was arrested when refusing to get off. The Court held the law was constitutional. The equal but separate accommodations did not imply inferiority of African-Americans as the trains were of equal quality. -
19th Amendment
Right to vote cannot be denied based on sex. -
White Primaries
A series of primary elections in the South which only white voters were allowed to participate. Smith v. Allwright (1944) challenged this election setup in which the SCOTUS struck down the law as it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Multiple instances had arisen of African-American students being denied admission to public schools on the account of race. The Supreme Court ruled for Brown that the segregation of schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and said the "separate but equal" facilities were unequal. -
Affirmative Action
Set of policies formed by the government in order to increase minority representation in sectors which they are seen as underrepresented. This has been applied to the workplace and education. -
Poll Taxes
Taxes posed at polls requiring someone to pay a fee in order to receive the ability to vote. This led to many people not being able to vote as they could not afford to pay the tax. It was abolished by the 24th Amendment. -
24th Amendment
Abolished the requirements of poll taxes in order to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This act ended segregation in schools and banned discrimination in the workplace. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Outlawed any discriminating act used to prevent people from voting such as literacy tests. Was used to enforce the 15th amendment. -
Reed v. Reed
Idaho passed a law giving preference to males over females when appointing administers of estates. The son of the Reeds (separated) both sought out to be the administer. Cecil Reed was given it ahead of Sally. The Court ruled that the unequal treatment of genders was unconstitutional as it violated the Equal Protection Clause. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Proposed amendment aiming to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It was meant to end the disparity between men and women in legal matters like divorce, property, employment. It was never successfully ratified although various states has incorporated their own. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke applied twice for admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis and was denied both times. The school reserved sixteen places in each entering class of one as part of the university's affirmative action program. Bakke's qualifications exceeded those of the admitted minorities both years. The SCOTUS ruled that the University of California's decision violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment requiring them to admit Bakke to the medical school. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was observed engaging in a consensual act of sodomy, violating Georgia statue, by a Georgia police officer. The SCOTUS denied Hardwick's call for unconstitutionality stating that the Constitution did not protect people for acts of sodomy granting the ability for states to outlaw it. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, government, accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Police entered Lawrence's home and caught him and another man participating in a private, consensual sexual act which was forbidden by Texas law. The court ruled in a 6-3 decision for Lawrence stating the 14th amendment provides them "full liberty" to engage in these acts in the privacy of their own home without government interference. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their respective states to challenge the constitutionality of the bans on same-sex marriage. They argued using the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court ruled in favor of Obergefell in a 5-4 decision stating that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to issue marriage licensing and recognition for same-sex couples.