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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott lived between Illinois and Louisiana Territory . Illinois was a free state and slavery was frobidden in 1820 due to the Misery Compromise. Scott went to Missouri filling for his freedom and was denied it. Scott argued that he lived in a free state which made him a free man. In the court case 7-2 sides against Scott saying a negro, whose ancestors were imported into the US, and sold as slaves could not be freed. -
13th Amendment
This amendment ended slavery saying "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction''. -
14th Amendment
This amendment said that any person born or naturalized in the United States was a US citizen. This guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws". -
15th amendment
This amendment allowed African American men the right to vote, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1892 Louisiana enacted the Separate Car Act, which required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. A group of New Orlean residents challenged Plessy. The courts sided 7-1 Ferguson won. They said 14th Amendment intended to establish absolute equality for the races before the law. However, separate treatment did not imply to African Americans. -
19th Amendment
This amendment allowed American women the right to vote. This right was known as women’s suffrage. The ratification on August 18, 1920, ended almost a century of protesting. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In 1952 cases from Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington DC all came up with the same problem. African American students were being denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They argued this was violating their 14th amendment which was the equal protection act. Unanimously the courts sided with Brown, saying this did violate their 14th amendment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The civil rights act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This act is considered one of the biggest achievements of the civil rights movements. -
Voting Act of 1965
The voting act of 1965 goal was to overcome legal barriers in states and local levels that prevented African Americans from using their right to vote, which they won in the 15th amendment. -
Reed v. Reed
After Sally Reed and Cecil Reed's son passed they both wanted to be named the administer of their sons land, they were not together. The Idaho Probate Code specified that "males must be preferred to females" in appointing administrators of estates. Sally said this was violating her equal protections clause. The courts unanimously sided with Sally saying this was a violation of her 14th amendment and equal rights protection. -
Title IX
Title IX is a civil rights law that was passed as part of the Education Amendments. This law prohibits sex based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal money. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke, a thirty-five-year-old white man, had twice applied for admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis.and was rejected both times. The school reserved sixteen places in each entering class of one hundred for "qualified" minorities. Bakke said this was violating his civil rights act of 1964 since he exceeded those of any of the minority students. In an 8-1 decision for Bakke. the courts saying his rights were violated by being rejected. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that bans discrimination on the basis of disability. This includes employment, public accommodation, public services, transportation and communications. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their state in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee to challenge the bans on same-sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages. The plaintiffs in each case argued that the states' statutes violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. In 5-4 decision for Obergefell saying this was violating their 14th amendment and same sex marriage is legal.