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The Thirteenth Amendment
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary labor, except as punishment for a crime. This helped the Civil Rights Movement, because slavery was one of the biggest injustices to civil rights, so the abolition of it was one of the first steps toward equality. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment states that no State can take away someone's liberty without due process of law, or take away privileges of U.S citizens. This amendment helped the Civil Rights Movement, because it no longer could allow people to openly mistreat minorities. -
Minor v. Happersett
Minor v. Happersett was a court case in 1875 in which the Supreme Court decided that State laws that forbade women from voting were constitutionally valid. This case hurt the Civil Rights Movement, because it kept women from voting for another 45 years. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
In the 1890s, there was a Louisiana law that stated that train cars had to be separate but equal. In 1890, Homer Plessy (who was 1/8 black) sat in the whites-only train car, and was arrested when he refused to move. Plessy argued that the Separate Car Act violated the 14th amendment, but the Supreme Court disagreed. This case hurt the Civil Rights Movement, because it continued segregation (not only on trains, but in schools, restaurants, etc.). -
The Nineteenth Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote in the U.S. This helped the Civil Rights Movement, because it decreased the amount of discrimination against people on the basis of gender, and allowed women to have a say in who runs the country. -
Brown V. Board of Education
In the 1900s, the "Separate but Equal" doctrine was common everywhere, including schools. However, schools for black children were rarely as nice as the all-white schools. So in 1950 and 1951, black parents tried to enroll their children in all-white schools, and were rejected. These parents argued that separating the students based on race violated the 14th amendment, and the Supreme Court agreed. This case helped the Civil Rights Movement, because it ended segregation in schools. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This law prohibits discrimination against someone based on race, sex, religion, etc. This law helped the Civil Rights Movement, because before it was passed, people could choose not to hire someone because of their race or gender. Which meant it was much more difficult for minorities to get jobs. This law helped these minorities get closer to equality. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This law prohibited voting practices that discriminated against minorities, such as literacy tests and voter intimidation. This law helped the Civil Rights Movement, because even though there were laws that stated African Americans to vote, some states were still able to pass laws that prevented them from doing so. This law made it so nothing could stop African Americans from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
This law expanded on the previous Civil Rights Act, and focused more on financing of housing. It prohibited discrimination when dealing with the sale and rental of houses on the basis of race, sex, and religion. It is also known as the Fair Housing Act. This helped the Civil Rights Movement, because people were still finding ways to be discriminatory, and this law made it a little more fair for minorities. -
Roe V. Wade
Roe V. Wade was a court case in 1973, in which a woman filed a lawsuit against the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas. She was challenging a law that made abortions illegal except in a case where the woman's life was in danger. She argued that this law abridged her right of personal privacy, but the Supreme Court disagreed. This case hurt the Civil Rights Movement, because it took away women's rights to choose what to do with their bodies.