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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri, and after residing in Illinois for ten years (where slavery was forbidden by the Missouri Compromise), he filed a suit for his freedom. He lost this case, so he brought a new suit to the federal court. The decision was that he could not be considered a free man in a 7-2 vote. Also, since his ancestors were imported to the US and sold as slaves, he didn’t have the standing to sue in a federal court. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was the first amendment in the Reconstruction Era. It ended slavery in all US states and territories. It was necessary because the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not end slavery entirely. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment granted not only citizenship, but also equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the Civil War. This was included in the phrase “all persons born or naturalized in the United States”. This amendment prohibited the states from depriving any person “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave black men the right to vote. Despite the amendment, many things were put into place to try and prevent black men from voting, such as literacy tests and the grandfather clause. It wasn’t until almost 100 years later that legal barriers were outlawed if they denied black men the right to vote under the 15th Amendment. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for Black people. As a result, Jim Crow legislation and separate public accommodations based on race became common. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. In 1848, the movement for women’s rights was launched on a national level with the Seneca Falls Convention. This was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. This convention became a large part of the women’s rights movement and raised public awareness. -
Brown v. Board of Education
African American students had been denied admittance to public schools because of segregation laws, and many argued that this was in violation of the Constitution. The Court held that “separate but equal is inherently unequal,” and therefore racial segregation of public schools is unconstitutional. This helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not equal at all. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is an effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups. It was initiated by the Johnson administration (1963–69) in order to improve opportunities for African Americans. The federal government began to institute affirmative action policies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places. It also banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was proposed by John F. Kennedy and received strong opposition from southern members of Congress. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson and outlawed the discriminatory voting practices in many southern states such as literacy tests and poll taxes. In 1964, there were many peaceful demonstrations organized by Civil Rights leaders met with violence, such as in Selma, Alabama. They gained national attention and persuaded Johnson to make effective voting rights legislation. -
Jim Crow Era
The Jim Crow Era lasted from post-civil war time through 1968. It was a time period and series of laws that legalized segregation. They were meant to marginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education, and other opportunities. People who attempted to defy the laws were usually arrested, fined, or even met with violence or death. -
Reed v. Reed
After the death of their son, divorced couple Sally and Cecil Reed sought to be named the administrator of their son's estate. Cecil was appointed administrator according to Idaho Probate code and Sally challenged the law in court. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the law's treatment of men and women was unconstitutional. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment bans discrimination on the basis of sex. It also guarantees equality for all under the Constitution. It was created because the Equal Protection Clause under the 14th Amendment hadn’t been sufficient enough in protecting the rights of women and others. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke (a white man) had applied twice for admission to a California medical school and was rejected both times. The school reserved sixteen places in each entering class of 100 for "qualified" minorities. Bakke's qualifications exceeded those of any of the minority students admitted in the two years he was rejected, so he claimed that he was excluded on the basis of race. It was ruled that they had to let Bakke into the medical program. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
A police officer in Georgia saw Michael Hardwick engaging in homosexual sodomy with another adult in the bedroom of his home. Hardwick challenged the Georgia statute's constitutionality. The court ruled that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities. This guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to employment opportunities, goods and services, etc. It was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. -
Motor Voter Act
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), or the Motor Voter Act, requires state governments to allow registration when a qualifying voter applied for/renewed their driver’s license. It forced state governments to make the voter registration process easier by providing uniform registration services. Service examples include drivers' license registration centers, disability centers, schools, libraries, and mail-in registration. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Houston police entered John Lawrence's apartment and saw him and another adult man (Tyron Garner) engaging in a sexual act. They were arrested in violation of a Texas statute forbidding two persons of the same sex to engage in sexual conduct. The Court held that the Texas statute violates the Due Process Clause. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their state agencies to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans of same-sex marriage. The Court held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees the right to marry as one of the fundamental liberties it protects, which applies to same-sex couples. In other words, this landmark case legalized gay marriage throughout America.