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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in a free state, but the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans would not be free even if they were to be a resident in a state where slavery was banned. In addition, the Court ruled that African Americans could never be US citizens since they were considered to be property. -
13th Amendment
It abolished both slavery and involuntary servitude. The exception is if it's done as punishment for some crime. In 1864, the Senate began the process of adding a Constitutional Amendment that would abolish slavery. The following year, it was passed and ratified. -
14th Amendment
After the Civil War, the United States entered a period of Reconstruction. During that time, the 14th Amendment was adopted. It granted citizenship to all born or naturalized. This included former slaves to protect their civil rights. The 14th Amendment also granted all citizens "equal protection of the law". -
15th Amendment
It declared that people can't be denied to vote for the simple reason of their race or the previous condition of servitude. This Amendment essentially granted African American men the right to vote. It was - at the time - controversial since many did not like the idea of former slaves being able to vote. -
Poll Taxes
There were voting fees created as a legal way to disenfranchise Southern African American voters. While all eligible voters were required to poll taxes, some poor whites were excused from paying it, but all blacks had to pay it. -
White Primaries
During the 1890s, primary elections held in the Southern United States only allowed white voters, a method used by white Democrats to disenfranchise minority voters. After three Supreme Court cases related to Texas's white primaries, most Southern states ended this practice. It ruled as unconstitutional for the Democratic Party to legalize racial discrimination and violated the 14th Amendment. However, other devices of disenfranchisement were still used, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was an African American who tried to fight racial segregation, saying that the 14th Amendment prevents it. The Supreme Court upheld segregation with the doctrine "separate but equal". -
Nineteenth Amendment
The 19th Amendment, introduced to Congress in 1878, gives women the right to vote. It took almost 100 years of the women's suffrage movement before the 19th Amendment was passed in the Supreme Court by just one more vote. -
Affirmative Action
First appearing in the 1940s after debates on non-discrimination policies, affirmative action consists of policies within a government or organization wanting to include particular groups who had formerly been excluded in things like employment or education. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was the Supreme Court case that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine. The Court ruled that laws establishing racial discrimination in public schools were unconstitutional. -
24th Amendment
This Amendment abolished poll taxes which had disproportionately affected African Americans in southern states such as Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was a landmark civil rights and labor law proposed by Kennedy but got filibustered by the Senate. His successor, Johnson, was able to push the bill forward in 1964. After a 54-day filibuster, it passed the Senate and in July of that same year, it was signed into law. This act banned discrimination based on many things such as color, religion, and sex. Later on, things like gender identity were added onto the list. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act serves to prohibit racial discrimination in voting or to enforce the 15th Amendment which granted African Americans the right to vote. The discriminatory voting practices by Southern states were outlawed. -
Reed v. Reed
The husband and wife had a conflict over who would become the owner of their deceased son's estate. The Idaho Code specifically stated the preference of male over female. Sally Reed's lawyer argued that the code went against the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed, ruling that the Equal Protection Clause protected women's rights. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Also called the ERA, this amendment was designed to give equal rights regardless of sex, ending the legal distinctions in important matters like property or employment. Some opposers believed the ERA would abolish laws protecting women. In the end, this amendment did not get all the necessary votes in 1972. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Bakke was a white male with good grades but was rejected after being accepted into medical school. The reason was since the university had a particular number of spots reserved for white applicants. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Blakke, stating that the use of racial "quotas" was unconstitutional. However, "affirmative action" was considered as an exception in some situations. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
A police officer saw Bower engaged in consensual homosexual sodomy and charged him for violating Georgia's statute. It was a 5-4 decision. The Court ruled that the states could outlaw those practices because the Consitution did not mention protection for them. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush passed the ADA which probits discrimination against the disabled. This not only includes employment but also includes transportation and public accommodations. It protects those with a physical or mental impairment that limits what major things they're not able to do in their daily life. Things like cancer isn't included. Things like depression and stress depend. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Police discovered two guys engaged in a sexual act. This violated a Texas statute forbidding same-sex couples/people to engage in such things. The Court ruled that the Texas law violates due process and that the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause protects same-sex couples. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Various groups consisting of same-sex couples sued their state agency for the refusal to recognize their marriage. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that both the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause protected same-sex marriage.
