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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave that lived in free territory from 1833 to 1843, and then he returned to Missouri with his owner. He filed in court that his residence in a free state made him a free mad. The court treated him as property and made the decision 7-2 that Scott was not free. -
13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery. This was ratified in 1865 in result to the Civil War. However, a year later "Black Codes" were made and this restricted the African Americans who were "freed". Lincoln did not live to see this amendment fully ratified, as he died in April and this was passed in December. -
14th Amendment
This amendment granted citizenship to anyone born in the United States. This included the "Equal Protection" clause, something that has been used in many African American cases, and other cases to this day. -
15th Amendment
This amendment allowed anyone to vote, regardless of "race, color, or previous record of servitude". this did not, however, make poll taxes or literacy tests illegal, so there was still discrimination to African Americans towards voting. This was also only for Men, no women regardless of race were allowed to vote. -
White Primaries
These were used to prevent African Americans from entering government positions. These allowed only white Americans to vote in the primaries which meant only white Americans would be chosen for the ballets. If any American Americans were able to vote, they would only be able to vote for racist white Americans. these were effective starting around 1880 and continued through 1908. -
Poll Tax
Poll taxes were often used to prevent African Americans from voting. They often worked jobs that did not allow them to have much more money then what they needed to survive, so most chose food over voting. These taxes were officially outlawed in 1965 when the voting rights act passed. These started around 1890 and ended in 1965. -
Plessy v Ferguson
This case allowed "separate but equal". this allowed any public place to have a separate area for different races as long as they were "equal". this allowed a plethora of Jim Crow laws to continue to be in effect for an even longer time. this was brought to to the supreme court because plessy sat in the "Whites only" train car. -
19th Amendment
This amendment was passed to allow anyone, regardless of sex, to vote. This was passed after about a century of women suffrage protests. -
Brown v Board of Education
This made segregation in schools illegal. This allowed African Americans access to an actually good education. however, most white Americans weren't okay with the decision, and it took over 20 years for all schools to be fully integrated. the national guard had to be involved to ensure this was being put into effect. -
24th Amendment
This amendment made poll taxes illegal, and were a step forward in allowing African Americans more access to vote. This law has been used in modern day by Florida. This was made almost 100 years after African Americans were first given the right to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act makes any discrimination based of race, color, religion, sex or national origin illegal. it also bans segregation in public places such as schools, restaurants and employment opportunities. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This protected African American voting rights that were guaranteed under the 15th amendment. This was signed into law by president Johnson and made any literacy tests, poll taxes, or intimidation tactics illegal. -
Affirmative Action
this describes policies that help people who have been discriminated against in areas such as housing, employment and education. they appeared in the 1940's, however the first instance of it being in law was in 1969 in the revised Philadelphia plan. -
Reed v. Reed
This case was a case under the equal protection clause. this was decided that administrators of estates cannot be named in ways that discriminate between sexes. This case was because a son died, and his estate was given to his parents who were divorced. the state of Idaho gave preference to his father because he was male, and gave him the estate. His mother took the case to the supreme court. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This case was a case that was based off of a white male who was rejected into college twice. he said that it was unfair that the college held 16 spots for minorities because it took away spots for other qualified people. He said this because his GPA was higher than any of the admitted minority students. the decision was 8-1 for Bakke. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This is a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee equal rights to all regardless of sex. this would involve matters such as divorce, property, employment and other matters. the deadline for this amendment was 1982 and it was not signed by 15 states. most Americans today support the amendment. it may pass eventually as it is expanding to involve people of LGBT+ -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was seen engaging a homosexual act inside his home by a police officer. it was decided that the Georgia law was unconstitutional. the court decided in a 5-4 ruling. the case was pled on a case of invasion of privacy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This law prevents discrimination based on disability in public places such as schools and places of employment. This includes several smaller acts that deal with public transportation, public spaces, employment, and service animals. -
Lawrence v. Texas
a police man went into Lawrence household on charge of weapons and saw him and another man having sex. they arrested him and this case is about the Texas law that banned homosexual intercourse. the decision was a 6-3 decision for Lawrence saying that through due process he has the right to privacy in his own home. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
this ruled that same sex marriage was legal through Due Process and the Equal Rights Amendment clause. the decision was 5-4, saying that same sex couples were allowed to be married.
