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13th Amendment
The 13th amendment formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the U.S excluding punishment for crime. Many slaves were declared free in 1963 by the emancipation proclamation but this was the clear message that slavery was no longer prohibited under the Constitution. -
Dredd Scott v. Stanford
Dred Scott was a slave who moved to a free state with the consent of his then master. When Emerson (his previous owner) died, Scott tried to purchase both the freedom of himself and his family, but the estate refused. Scott then filed an action in a federal court which applied Missouri law. The Court found that Scott was a slave who was not given the rights and protections under the Constitution regardless or not he temporarily lived in a free state with the intent to become a permanent citizen. -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War. This amendment prohibited the states from depriving any person of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment granted African-American men the right to vote. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude–" However, once ratified white people did not make it easy for black men to vote and took an extreme measure to stop it. -
Poll Taxes
Poll Taxes Begun in the 1890s as a legal way to keep African Americans from voting in southern states, poll taxes were essentially a voting fee. Eligible voters paid and they were allowed to vote. Many African-Americans couldn't afford the relatively high tax in order to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This was the first case to challenge the 14th amendment. A group of African-Americans took the case to court to test the constitutionality of making African passengers sit in a separate train car. The case ruled 7-1 not in favor of the group. The case furthered the ability of states to be able to segregate their citizens. -
White Primaries
White primaries were primary elections held in the Southern United States in which only white voters were permitted to participate Since the south was virtually a one-party political system, with almost always a democratic turnout, Republicans wouldn't even bother running. In order to keep African Americans out of the political process, the Democratic party in many states adopted a rule excluding them from party membership. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as women’s suffrage. The campaign for women’s suffrage was a small but growing movement in the decades before the Civil War. After a lengthy battle with legislators and powerful female activists, the amendment was ratified. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional. The Court's unanimous (9–0) decision stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal", and therefore violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a policy in which an individual's color, race, sex, religion or national origin are taken into account to increase opportunities provided to an underrepresented part of society. The programs tend to focus on access to education and employment, granting special consideration to historically excluded groups, specifically racial minorities or women. The idea was introduced by President Kennedy -
24th Amendment
This amendment banned poll tax. Meaning it prohibited the federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes before a citizen could participate in a federal election. Poll tax was essentially just voters having to pay a sum before they could vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It required equal access to public places and employment and enforced the desegregation of schools and the right to vote. Originally proposed by President John F Kennedy and then later passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This was seen as one of the biggest steps towards ending discrimination the 20th century had seen. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made discriminatory voting practices illegal. For years after the 14th amendment was passed white people tried everything to stop block people from voting. Literacy tests, poll taxes, even violence. Only a year after the Civil Rights Act, President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act to further protect African-Americans right to vote. -
Reed v. Reed
The first U.S. Supreme Court case to declare sex discrimination a violation of the 14th Amendment. The law in question was one that preferred the father over the mother as executor of a son's estate. Originally, the Idaho statutes automatically gave mandatory preference to males over females when there were two competing relatives to administer a deceased person's estate. However, after the case was won, women/sex was now recognized under the 14th amendment. -
The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
An applicant to the University of California, Davis Medical School, sued the University, alleging his denial of admission on racial grounds was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The court ruled that while race may be a factor, it is not the sole factor in determining an application. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment was passed by the Senate but still has not been ratified by enough states to actually go into order. It is a proposed amendment to the US Constitution stating that civil rights may not be denied on the basis of one's sex. Female activists in the 60's, 70's, and 80's really focused on trying to pass the amendment. The opposition mostly came from others who did not women to lose some of their pre-existing rights. NOT because they don't want women to be treated equally. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld (5–4) a Georgia state law banning sodomy. A man was being sued for sodomy in his home with another man. He took this to the high courts where they ruled that sodomy with another man was not constitutionally protected. The case was overturned decades later. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA is meant to prevent workplace and hiring discrimination against employees with disabilities of all kinds, while also increasing mobility to all disabled persons with handicap-accessible ramps and other accommodations in public places/businesses. It was signed into effect by President George W. Bush -
Lawrence v. Texas
The court ruled that U.S. laws prohibiting private homosexual activity, sodomy, and oral sex between consenting adults are unconstitutional. The Court based its ruling on the notions of personal autonomy to define one's own relationships and of American traditions of non-interference with private sexual decisions between consenting adults. The court ruled 6-3. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The ruling was 5-4 and all 50 states must allow and recognize same-sex marriage.
