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Dred Scott v. Sandford
A black slave named Dred Scott escapes and starts to live in a free white state. The slave owner found him and tried to take him back. The court ruled he could do this because slaves are not considered citizens and don't have the right to sue. -
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Reconstruction
Government puts in civil rights ammendments; 13th, 14th, 15th, and 24th amendments.
Put in place the civil rights act of 1964 that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in any form.
Also put in place Voting Rights Act of 1965 preclearance that removed barriers to black enfranchisement in the South, banning poll taxes, literacy tests, and other measures that effectively prevented African Americans from voting. -
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Jim Crow Era
The Jim Crow Era was the time of segregation. Laws were enforced to seperate blacks and whites.
For example one law reads, "Separate free schools shall be established for the education of children of African descent; and it shall be unlawful for any colored child to attend any white school, or any white child to attend a colored school.” -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Upheld segregation laws in the U.S. thorugh the "seperate but equal" doctrine. These laws ment that blacks and whites needed to be segregated but the facilites must be equal. These facilities never were very equal however. -
19th Amendment
This amendment made it legal for women to vote and no one could be denied the right to vote based on sex. -
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Scottsboro boys
The Scottsboro boys were nine young black men that were falsey accused of raping two white women. They went to trial and had very unfair trials. Some didnt have lawers, and if the did, they were incompetent. Some trials they had all white jurys that didnt even consider the facts of the case they just looked at skin color and said they were guilty. They eventually got their sentences reduced and let out of jail. This was one of the earliest signs of racial injustice in America. -
George Stinney case
George Stinney was a 14 year old black boy who was sentenced to death. He was convicted for the murder of two young white girls. In his trial the lawer had never represented a defendent before and didn't call any witnesses. The jury talked for 10 minutes before sentencing him to die. This showed the injustice in the courtoom and legal areas. -
Brown v. Board
African american students were being denied from an all white school. Brown sued saying it violated the equal prtoection clause of the 14th amendment. They won the case because they said the schools were inherently unequal. Therefore allowing blacks to integrate the white schools. -
James Meredith enrolls in Ole Miss University
James Meredith becomes the first black student to enroll in Ole Miss and sets an outrage among the white community in the area. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in any form. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Removed barriers to black enfranchisement in the South, banning poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clause, and other measures that effectively prevented African Americans from voting. Some states now have to get preclearence with the national government before they make changes to the voting system to prevent discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Fair Housing Act. Expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and since 1974, sex. -
California v. Bakke
A white man was denied a spot if California University because they reserved 16 spots for minorites and the other white spots were full. He sued and from this case the government made affirmitve action constitutional but not the use of racial quotas. 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 -
Gratz v. Bollinger
Two students were trying to get into Michigan but were not allowed because they gave minorities a 20 point advantage automatically before they even apply. They argued taht the admission process discriminated of certain ethnic groups and the court found the process unconstistuional.
