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Dred Scott v. Stanford
Dred Scott argued to the Supreme Court that because he had held residence in a free state before returning to a slave state, he was a free person. The court ruled that he was neither a free person AND that anyone who had been brought to the United States to be sold into slavery could NOT be a citizen of the United States of America. -
13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment was the amendment that formally abolished slavery in the United States of America. It was approved by President Lincoln on February 1, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868, following the 13th Amendment. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to everybody born or neutralized to the United States of America. This included the freed slaves and granted them citizenship. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote. This came after the abolishment of slavery and the subsequent grant of citizenship to the freed slaves. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Plessy v Ferguson was a Supreme Court case in which created the notion of "separate but equal." The case decided that segregation was legal given if facilities were segregated they were of equal quality (pfff, haha). -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution said that the right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of sex. -
White Primaries
The White Primaries were primary elections (generally in southern states, @TEXAS) in which only white voters were allowed to participate. The White Primaries were deemed unconstitutional in 1944 Supreme Court decision Smith v. Allright. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a landmark Supreme Court case. They decided in the case that segregating schools violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America because schools could not truly be separate but equal. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action was an idea originally introduced by President Kennedy in 1961. The idea is to "favor individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously" (Google dictionary). This is meant to recognize past issues and ensure diversity in universities and professional lives. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment abolished the ability of states to instill a poll tax. More on poll taxes for the poll tax slide. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were a discriminatory practice that allowed people to be charged to vote in Federal Elections. This affected people of color disproportionately, but it also affected low-income white people and prevented them from voting. Poll taxes were abolished by the 24th Amendment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination in public places, putting an end to Jim Crowe era discrimination. It also made employment discrimination illegal (it is pretty arguable that workplace discrimination still exists). -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was created as a way to enforce the 15th Amendment. It outlawed discriminatory voting practices such as literacy tests. -
Reed v. Reed
This was a Supreme Court Case dealing with sex-based discrimination. It was a case of estate inheritance and the court ruled that administrators of estates may not make decisions that discriminate on account of sex. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was the proposed 27th Amendment of the United States Constitution. It was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but never got ratified by the states. The amendment was meant to "ensure equal application of the Constitution to all citizens." -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This case deals with affirmative action admissions policies at schools. Bakke sued the University of California for denying him admission (2x) because of his race. The court ruled that because UC held 16 spots for minorities, they were unconstitutionally employing the equal protection clause. HOWEVER, they also ruled that it is constitutional to review race as a part of a college application. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This is a case dealing with civil rights for LGBTQ+ people. Does the constitution protect the right of gay men to engage in consensual relations, and thereby are laws prohibiting that unconstitutional? Thie case involves Hardwick, who was charged with homosexual sodomy and violated a Georgia statute that outlawed that. The court ruled that it is within the state's rights to outlaw such relations. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is to prevent discrimination of persons on the basis of ability. It puts requirements in place for the treatment of disabled people, as well as requirements for infrastructure to ensure it is equal for all. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas overturned the decision of Bowers v. Hardwick, by ruling that the Texas law prohibiting homosexual sex was unconstitutional. This also invalidated sodomy laws throughout the rest of the country. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This is a civil rights case dealing with LGBTQ+ rights. Plaintiffs sued their respective states for their refusal to recognize same-sex marriage. The court ruled that states were required to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment AND that they had to recognize same-sex marriages that had been performed in other states.
