-
The Thirteenth Amendment was an amendment to the U.S. constitution that abolished slavery as well as involuntary servitude.
-
The 14th Amendment was an amendment to the U.S. constitution that made all people born or naturalized in the U.S. (including former slaves) citizens of the country and guarenteed equal protection of the laws.
-
The 15th Amendment was an amendment to the U.S. constitution that prohibited the denial of voting rights to people because of race, color, or the fact that they had been slaves.
-
Plessey vs. Ferguson was a court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that separation of the races in public accommodations was legal, thus establising the "separate but equal" doctrine.
-
The 19th Amendment was an amendment to the U.S. constitution that gave women the right to vote.
-
The executive order of 1948 abolished racial segregation in the armed forces.
-
Brown vs. Board of Education was a court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" education for black and whtie students was unconstitutional.
-
Rosa Parks sat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and was asked by the driver to move along with three other African Americans so that a white man could take a seat without having to sit by any colored people. She refused to give up her seat and sat staring out the window. She was arrested and news of such arrest spread quickly. This eventually led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the elimination of racial segregation on buses.
-
African Americans filed a lawssuit and refused to ride Montgomery buses for 381 days. This led to the Supreme Court's outlaw of segregation on buses.
-
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 established a federal commission on Civil Rights, a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Departemtn to enforce civil rights laws, and enlarged federal power to protect voting laws.
-
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or religion in public places as well as some workplaces.
-
The 24th Amendment states "The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election... shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax".
-
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it easier for African Americans to register to vote by eliminating discriminatory literacy tests and authorizing federal examiners to enroll voters denied at the local level.
-
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned discrimination in housing.