-
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that no person of African heritage is a Citizen of the United states, and don't have the right to sue in court. The Case also declared the Missouri compromise unconstitutional, meaning that congress cant stop the spread of slavery. The Courts ruling lead to further divide the states on the issue of slavery, setting the course for succession. -
The 13th Amendment
Declared slavery unconstitutional, unless you are a prisoner and have received due process of the law. Some forms of legal discriminations remained for years, such as black codes, but the 13th amendment set the tone for the reconstruction era. -
14th Amendment
Declared any person born in the United states was a Citizen and guaranteed "equal protection of the laws" . This granted citizenship to former slaves but allowed Jim Crow laws. This also outlined what would become "the Incorporation doctrine", which would slowly incorporate the constitution into state legislatures. -
15th Amendment
Amendment that granted suffrage to Black Americans, stating that The United states cant abridge any man the right to vote. Note the use of the word "man". Despite the wording, Southern states continued to deprive black men their right through discriminatory trivial test and poll taxes. -
Poll Taxes
A tactic southern states used to suppress the black vote, Basically a tax citizens eligible to vote had to pay at a time of the season when money was scarce in order to vote. Starting in 1877, ending in 1964 then it was officially outlawed by the 24th amendment. -
Plessy vs, Ferguson
This one didn't age well. Basically the supreme court said segregation was okay, since separation alone doesn't imply inferiority, while evaluation Louisiana law that required separate facilities for whites and blacks. The quality of facilities was of course drastically different, but this didn't effect the verdict. -
19th Amendment
The law makers finally saw women as independent, and were Given the right to vote, expanding the 15th to "every citizen". -
White Primaries
A policy used in the south that allowed political parties to block minorities from voting. The south had a consistently democratic government that stopped blacks ability to vote, White primaries were deemed unconstitutional by the supreme court in 1944 with Smith vs. Allwright. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Racially segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. This decision was brought to you by the supreme court, when they said it violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Desegregation began the following years, and at a predictably slower speed in the south. -
24th Amendment
Outlawed poll taxes in federal elections, giving need insurance to Black suffrage in the south, and expanded their roll in government. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
Prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, country of origin in commercial settings, for example, a business denying service to a person because of any of these factors. This included Employment, and forbid federal funding for institutions with discriminatory practices. The Civil Rights Act also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to oversee all the situations involving employment. -
Affirmative Action
Have you every seen that one movie Foxie Brown? This policy has the same tone as that movie. The idea is to give advantages(equity) to those previously, and probably still currently, disadvantaged do to discrimination. So factor in race to college and job applications. Incentives are rewarded for states that participate, its still under debate if as a whole its okay. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A wicked strong law that banned poll taxes and literacy test
an extension of the 15th amendment, it tool the shape of the policy that the 15th lacked, further protecting the voting rights of minorities. The feds also sent Officials to southern polls to make sure nobody was being racist. -
Reed vs. Reed
Supreme court decision sayin that laws aren't allowed discriminate by gender, on a larger scale the supreme court acknowledge gender discrimination exists and deemed it unconstitutional for laws to treat parties separately based of gender. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Ironically under supported by women when first introduced in 1923, it was created to protect equal rights of citizen regardless of sex. Its aim was to level out advantages given by sex in situation involving employment, owning property, divorce, custody and others. It was a threat to the traditional family values. It actually still hasn't been ratified by the states yet, and there is still a grass roots movement to do so.it was passed by congress on March 22nd, 1972 which is the date included. -
Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke
Supreme court case ruling the use of Affirmative action is constitutional in the admission process, however racial quotas aren't. The race of an applicant can be a factor just like any other but cannot be used simply to fill quotas. -
Bowers vs. Hardwick
A supreme court case upholding the illegality of sodomy on a state level in Georgia. The Court said there was no protection for sodomy in the constitution, and the states could rule how they want side note, The prosecution also called Homosexuality a crime against nature and, "Worse than rape". Wild times man. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by employers, also requires businesses and public settings to make what's called "reasonable accommodations" for those with disabilities. -
Lawrence vs. Texas
A supreme court case stating that the due process clause of the 14th amendment allowed two consenting adults to be gay in their own home with intervention of government. In Texas, where the case was brought up, couldn't submit any other significant reasons why this wasn't okay. -
Obergefell vs. Hodges
Supreme Court ruled that State laws against same sex marriage were in violation of equal protection clause and due process clause. All 50 of the states had to Acknowledge and enforce that same sex marriage was constitutional.
