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Civil Rights
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Dred Scott v. Sandford
After being a slave from 1833-1843, Dred Scott moved from free state Illinois back to Missouri where he filed a suit for his freedom. His "master" claimed he could not sue as he is not a citizen. When brought to the supreme court, the court ruled in favor of the "master" and held that Scott's residence in a free state did not make him free. Further, they ruled that no black person whose ancestors were imported and sold as slaves could be an American citizen. -
13th Amendment
In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves free in every state that was "in rebellion against the United States", or the areas of the Confederacy. They then passed the 13th Amendment at the end of the civil war before the southern states had been restored to the Union. At first it was not passed by the HoR but Lincoln insisted the passing be added to the Republican party platform in the upcoming 1864 election. The House passed the bill in January. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was made with the purpose of granting citizenship to all people naturally born or naturalized to the United States, giving citizenship the formally enslaved people. It also established Due Process as both a state and federal law. On July 28th, 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified. The author of the first section of the 14th Amendment also intended it to nationalize the Bill of Rights. This ended up failing. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment allowed all black men the right to vote, something that African Americans would have to struggle another century for under laws like "Jim Crow laws" and the "Grandfather Clause". -
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Jim Crow Era
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Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1892, Homer Plessy took up a challenge to test Louisiana's Separate Car Act, which required segregated railway cars. As Plessy was 1/8th black, when he sat in a "whites only" train car, he was told to leave to which he refused, getting him arrested. In trial, he argued the law violated the 13th and 14th amendments. When brought to court, the Court held the law was constitutional and that separate train cars did not imply inferiority. This established "separate but equal". -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment granted the right to vote for women legally and federally. The amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1878 and was finally ratified in August of 1920 after decades of marches, picketing, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. Ways of going about protesting varied and was not unified until around 1916. -
Brown v. Board of Education
After Plessy v. Ferguson, the concept of "separate but equal" was well taken advantage of. So much to the point of black students having to go to schools far from their houses, with very little resources, solely because the schools near them were for "whites only". Parents of these students argued that segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause and the 14th Amendment. When this case was taken to court, the court concluded unanimously that seperate but equal was inherently unequal. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to the integration of schools and other public places as well as prohibiting discrimination in public places and in work settings, mainly because of race. It was first proposed in a televised speech by President Kennedy, though it was signed by Johnson after Kennedy’s assassination. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was put into place 95 years after the 15th Amendment was ratified. This act was to enforce the 15th Amendment and to stop literacy tests, poll taxes, bureaucratic restrictions, harassment, intimidation, economic reprisals, and physical violence against black people who were wanting to vote. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women. This applies to race, disability, gender, ethnic origin, and age. -
Reed v. Reed
In Idaho law it was specified that "males must be preferred to females" when talking about the administration of estates. After the death of their son, the Reeds sought ownership of his land and Cecil won. When taken to court, the court decided unanimously that the law's treatment of men vs women was unconstitutional. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment took to strengthen the 19th Amendment with a goal to end legal distinctions between men and women whether that be divorce, property, and employment. It failed to be ratified however it led to gradual legal powers to women. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
With Affirmative Action schools often had a quota they had to meet with the admission of minority groups in their school. Allan Bakke applied for medical school twice and was rejected both times even though he had very high qualifications. Bakke claimed he was excluded solely based off of race. When taken to court, they did not come to a unanimous decision. Some decided that it violated the ERA and other said it was in accordance to the Affimative Action. This case tried to make both happy. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
After a police officer saw Michael Hardwick and another man engaged in consensual homosexual sodomy, Michael was charged with sodomy. Michael challenged the law on its constitutionality. When taken to court, they decided that laws against sodomy were not unconstitutional and that states could be against it. The judges feared if they ruled against it that they would be putting themselves above the law of the land. This case strengthened homophobia across the US. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act requires that states offer voter registration at motor vehicle agencies allowing more people to be able to register to vote. Their vehicle license renewal application also acted as a registration form to vote and also made first-time voters register in person. -
Lawrence v. Texas
After being caught having consensual sexual intercourse but between two men, Lawrence and Garner were arrested in violation of Texas law. When taken to court, the Court decided that Texas's law making it a crime for two persons of the same sex having intercourse was a violation of the Due Process Clause and that the government cannot intervene in the personal and private life of an individual. This case paved the way for same-sex couple relationships and marriage. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The plaintiffs, James Obergefell and John Arthur James got married legally in Maryland in 2013. John Arthur James soon fell ill and died, with the state of Ohio refusing to recognize him as being married to James at the time of his death. They went to court arguing that it violated the Equal Protection Right and that same-sex marriage should be protected as well. The Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment requires all states to license marriages to same-sex couples.