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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was born into slavery in Virginia, but moved to Alabama, and then later to Missouri. After his owner passed, he was repurchased and continued to live in the slavery ring after slavery had been outlawed. Scott later filed a lawsuit for freedom in the St. Louis court, for wrongful enslavement. On the first lawsuit, Scott lost his case due to a technicality and was given a retrial. After going to trial again, Scott was finally granted his freedom under Article ||| of The Constitution. -
The 13th Amendment
With the help of Abraham Lincoln, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Senate and the House stating an abolishment of slavery and involuntary servitude, unless it was a punishment for a crime. The main purpose was because Lincoln believed there were flaws in The Emancipation Proclamation, as it did not fully end slavery. -
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was originated to grant citizenship right to African-Americans, and it stated that this citizenship can't be taken under any circumstances other than one giving it up themselves, or one committing perjury during the nationalization process. This amendment mainly extended liberties and rights of previous or current slaves. -
White Primaries
This was a tactic used in mostly southern states, limiting voting for elections to only white people. This was carried through by either solely telling African-Americans they were not allowed to vote, or by the use of arbitrary registration requirements such as literacy tests, originated with the sole purpose of being impossible to pass. -
The 15th Amendment
When the 15th Amendment was passed, it gave African-American men the right and ability to vote by stating, "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Poll Taxes
Voting fees at polls began in the 1890's as a way to keep African-Americans from voting mainly in the southern states. This tax targeted people of color, as an exception for poor Caucasians was the "grandfather clause", excusing this payment if they had an ancestor who voted before the Civil War -
Plessy V. Ferguson
In this case, the very controversial concept of "separate but equal" was finally put to rest. Homer Plessy was known for protesting, and sitting in a "whites only" car on a train. The court ruled after this case that there was not a meaningful difference in quality between whites and blacks, and thus Plessy was convicted. -
The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment's purpose was to create equal rights for men and women, along with equal voting rights. The amendment states votes, "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex". This amendment was most widely known as the win of women's suffrage. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Previously known as the "Lucretia Mott Amendment", the Equal Rights Amendment outlined "men and woman shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction" -
Brown v. Board of Education
During this time period, African-American students were being denied admittance to public schools that were "meant for whites". It was argued that this was against amendments and used Plessy V. Ferguson as an example. This decision overturned that of Plessy V. Ferguson and ruled this segregation as being unconstitutional. -
Affirmative Action
John F. Kennedy's Executive Order was the first known to use Affirmative Action. This ensured that applicants were "treated equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin," and thus created the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. -
The 24th Amendment
Before The 24th Amendment was ratified, citizens in most states had to pay a fee to vote in national elections, this was known as a poll tax. This amendment prohibited and outlawed any fees or taxes done at the polls for elections of federal officials. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created to end segregation of public places, in which it was most common to, and put a stop to employment discrimination on the basis of an individual's race, religion, sex, national origin, or color. This law protected and still protects employees of a company as well as any applicants. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson with the intent of overcoming legal barriers at both state and local levels that prevented African-Americans from voting as promised under The 15th Amendment of the Constitution -
Reed V. Reed
A woman by the name of Sally Reed wanted to be named the administrator of her sons estate, but the Idaho law stated "males were preferred over females" and Cecil Reed was automatically named admin with no hesitation. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
A man named Allan Bakke had applied and been rejected twice to UC Medical School. His scores considering everything were above average and this school had 16 spots set aside from their 100 acceptance, specifically for minorities. Bakke sued the school for reverse discrimination. The court recognized this, and Bakke was immediately admitted. -
Bowers V. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was intruded upon in his own home engaging in homosexual activity with another man. He was then charged against violation of Georgia law, and Hardwick decided to challenge this charge. The court ruled in favor of Hardwick and determined this law unconstitutional. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This federal civil rights law states a clear and comprehensive mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This allows all people to participate fully in all aspects of society, and provides reasonable accommodations for employees. -
Lawrence V. Texas
Similar to the Bowers V. Hardwick case, John Geddes Lawrence was caught engaging in homosexual activity with another man in his home. He was charged violating the sodomy law in Texas and brought to court. The courts also ruled this law unconstitutional and legalized same-sex activity in every state. -
Obergefell V. Hodges
In Obergefell V. Hodges, multiple couples sued relevant state agencies to challenge the constitutionality of state bans on same sex marriage. These couples argued that the bans violated the Equal Protection Clause, and their rights. The courts ruled that there was no jurisdiction if prior true, for states to refuse to recognize a marriage of a same sex couple
