Civil Rights

Dred Scott v Sanford

1857

Dred Scott was a slave in the state of Missouri. Scott stayed in Illinois where slavery was forbidden. The court ruled that slaves couldn't become citizens and could not sue anyone in federal court.

13th Amendment

1865

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery everywhere in the United States including the south. This amendment was passed after the Civil War. This amendment is often hidden behind the Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln created.

14th Amendment

1868

The 14th Amendment gave all people born inside of the United States citizenship. This included those who were previously slaves. It also stated that no state can have a law that breaches the privileges given to citizens by the Bill of Rights. Also know as the Due Process Clause.

15th Amendment

1869

The 15th Amendment allowed African Americans to vote. However, this only included the men. Many voting booths especially in the south did whatever they could to try and turn African Americans from voting despite this amendment.

Plessy v Feguson

1896

Louisiana had a Separate Car Act which separated blacks and whites in train cars. Plessy was 7/8 white and sat in the whites only car and was told to leave and was arrested. Court ruled against Plessy and upheld racial segregation.

19th Amendment

1919

The 19th Amendment allows citizens to vote no matter their sex. This meant that women were finally allowed to vote. This right took decades of protest from U.S. citizens mainly women for until it finally got passed.

Jim Crow Era

1920

The Jim Crow Era took place after the Reconstruction Era and allowed segregation in areas by race. Segregation was allowed as long as it was "separate but equal." However, in nearly all locations this rule was not followed as the African American spots were much worse.

Brown v Board of Education

1954

Schools were segregated based on race with an only white school and African Americans school. These African American students were denied access to public schools and they argued that this violated the 14th amendment. Court ruled that separate but equal schools by race is unequal and therefore unconstitutional.

Affirmative Action

1961

Affirmative action is also known as positive discrimination and includes sets of policies in an organization to include groups based on race, gender, etc. These are generally made to achieve different goals such as more equal payment between race, gender, etc. This action came from President Kennedy's Executive Order 10925.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964

The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination of all kinds. This included discrimination of race, religion, sex, etc. This act played a huge factor in ending the Jim Crow laws that were previously set.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

1965

President Lyndon Johnson signed this law which ruled against formats designed to keep African Americans from voting. These formats such as a literacy test were made after the 15th Amendment was passed. This act was passed as a result of the Selma to Montgomery march where many protesters were attacked by Alabama troops.

Reed v Reed

1971

Idaho had a Probate Code that made males preferred to females. When Sally and Cecil Reed's son died they both fought for ownership of his estate. Because of the code, Cecil was given ownership. Court ruled that his unequal treatment was unconstitutional and violated the 14th Amendment.

Equal Rights Amendment

1972

The Equal Rights Amendment was only a proposed amendment to guarantee equal rights for all sexes. This amendment was never passed however and only got 35 states to ratify it out of 38. This amendment was originally written by Alice Paul.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

1978

Bakke was a white man who applied to California Medical School at Davis and was denied because the school saved specific spots for "qualified" minorities. Bakkes scores were much higher than those were admitted just because of their minority. The court ruled that this violated the Civil Rights Act however, they also said that the use of race for admissions was also allowed.

Bowers v Hardwick

1986

Hardwick was caught by an officer while engaged in homosexual activity. This violated a law in Georgia that made sodomy illegal. The court ruled that it was constitutional for states to outlaw sodomy as nothing in the Constitution could protect it.

Americans with Disabilities Act

1990

This act prohibits discrimination of those who have disabilities in public areas. A big area for this act is the workforce where those with disabilities can't be turned away from a job simply because of their disability. This act also made sure that public service announcements would have closed captioning for those who were deaf.

Motor Voter Act

1993

President Clinton signed this act that made it possible for voters to register to vote when they renew their driver's license. It also established a national voter registration form that all states had to use. The actual name of the act is the National Voter Registration Act.

Lawrence v Texas

2003

Houston police caught Lawrence engaged in a homosexual act. This violated a Texas law that outlawed same sex engagement in sexual conduct. The court ruled that this violated the Due Process Clause saying that states can't just go and invade the private life of someone.

Obergefell v Hodges

2015

Many states had bans on same-sex marriages and many couples sued these states. They argued that his violated the Equal Protection Clause and even the Civil Rights Act. The court ruled that the Due Process Clause allowed anyone to marry the person that they want and this included same-sex marriages.