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Timeline
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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave and his owner took him to Wisconsin to do work. When his owner, Emerson, died, he argued that he was then a freeman because he was in a state that outlawed slavery and was then a resident of the state. However, Emerson's wife refused to let Scott purchase his freedom. This case said that African Americans of Black African decent were not granted American Citizenship and therefore would not have the rights the constitution guaranteed American citizens. -
13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary acts of servitude. The only exception was punishment for a crime. -
14th Amendment
This is one of the Reconstruction amendments. This amendment prohibits a state from depriving a person of life, liberty, and property, without due process of law. This grants people equal protection. -
15th Amendment
The Federal government and the states cannot deny a citizen the right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Basically, this gave African American men the right to vote. While this amendment had a large impact and gave black people the right to vote by law, there were still a lot of obstacles for them to get to the voting booth. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Separate Car Act required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. Plessy, who was considered black, was asked to sit in the white car as an act of rebellion against the act. When Plessy was asked to leave the whites only car, he refused and was arrested. It was argued that this went against the 14th amendment, but the court declared the law was constitution under the separate but equal clause. This upheld segregation. -
Jim Crow Era
These were laws at the state and local level, put in place to stop African Americans from making advancements in education and the work force. They also denied them the right to vote. Anyone who tried to defy these laws faced consequences. It was during this time that the KKK was born. Jim Crow Laws eventually spread across the entire country, including cities, and causes much segregation. -
19th Amendment
This gave women the right to vote, meaning voting cannot be denied based on your sex. The women's suffrage movement was a key component in passing this amendment. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the convention. Susan B. Anthony was also another leading woman in the movement. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The ERA was proposed by women's rights suffragist Alice Paul. This guarantees legal gender equality for men and women. This is important for matters of divorce, property, employment, etc. However, the amendment failed to be ratified. Women had to gain equality through other means, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This regards the segregation of schools based on race. It was argued that denying black people into public schools because of their race was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. The court decided that separate but equal violates the Equal Protection Clause because the facilities are inherently unequal. Separation on the basis of race suggests inferiority. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was a landmark civil rights and labor laws act. It outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. This ended employment discrimination and it ended segregation in public places. Martin Luther King Jr. influenced the passage of this act. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
When the 14th amendment gave African American men the right to vote, the states had various ways of still preventing them from voting. When this act was passed, its goal was to overcome these legal barriers and it prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson -
Affirmation Action
This is also known as positive discrimination. It involves policies and practices within the government or an organization to include groups that are underrepresented. This can be on the basis of gender, race, sexuality, etc. This mostly applies to education and employment. The purpose was to ensure equal access to opportunities to give everyone a fair chance. -
Reed v. Reed
This court case was in regards to discrimination against sexes. When appointing administers of estates, men are usually the ones appointed. In this case, Cecil Reed was appointed to be the administrator of his son's estate instead of Sally. Sally challenged this in court. The Idaho Probate Code was decided to violate the 14th amendments Equal Protection Clause. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke applied for admission into the University of California Medical School at Davis twice and was rejected. The school reserved 16 places for minorities, but Bakke's qualifications exceeded all of the minorities, so he thought it was unfair to not be admitted when they were. The court was on the fence. Bakke was ordered to be admitted into the school and the court said any racial quota system violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, the other judges said it was permissible. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was engaging in consensual homosexual sodomy within his home and an officer charged him with violating Georgia's statute that criminalized sodomy. The main question behind this case is to if homosexuals have the right under the constitution to engage in consensual sodomy. If that is the case, many state laws would then be invalid. However, the court ruled against Hardwick and said the Constitution does not protect acts of sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This protects people with disabilities from discrimination. The goals are to make commercial, economic, and social activities available for people with disabilities to participate in on an everyday basis. Examples where this act comes into place includes having ramps up to buildings and having accessible bathrooms. -
Voter Motor Act
The NVRA states voter registration requirements for federal elections. The overall purpose was to make it easier for Americans to vote. For example, in the NVRA, it allows voter registration by mail and it allows voting to take place within DMVs. The NVRA expanded suffrage to the poor and the disabled. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence's apartment was entered by police and the police saw Lawrence having sex with another man. This was illegal under Texas law. The court held the statue for Texas making it a crime for homosexual sex violated the Due Process Clause. The court stated the government should not be able to intrude into a consenting adults life, for this takes away their liberty and private life. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their state agencies to challenge the ban on same-sex marriages. It was argued that the ban violated the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause. It was ruled that the 14th amendment guarantees the right to marry as one of the fundamental liberties.