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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott, a slave, was moved by his owner, John Emerson, from a slave state to a free state. Scott went to court, claiming that since he lived in a free state he was freed from slavery. The Supreme Court ruled against Scott (7-2). They said that Scott and other slaves were not entitled to freedom for living in a free state, that African Americans could never be citizens, and that The Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was one of the three amendments proposed after the Civil War in order to guarantee the freedom and rights of Black people. When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves, it actually only freed slaves that were in states belonging to the Confederacy. The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress in January 1865. It then was ratified in December 1865, officially making slavery illegal in the US. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was one of 3 Amendments proposed following the Civil War in order to guarantee freedom and equal rights for Black people. The 14th Amendment had four parts to it. The parts pertaining to Blacks and civil rights made it so that anyone born in the US is automatically a US citizen, and guaranteed all citizens equal protection under the laws. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was one of the three amendments proposed after the Civil War in order to guarantee the freedom and rights of Black people. The 15th Amendment made it so that citizens could not be denied the right to vote because of their race. White people found ways around this Amendment to still keep Black people from voting. -
Jim Crow Era
Jim Crow laws were a collection of state and local laws that legalized and promoted the segregation of black people. Jim Crow laws began popping up after the 13th Amendment was passed, which banned slavery, and continued to exist for over 100 years. The Civil Rights movement saw an end to Jim Crow laws. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1809, a law was passed in Louisiana that said all passenger railways had to provide separate cars for white and colored people, and that the cars had to be equal in facilities. When Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in a whites-only train car as a mixed man, he sued the presiding judge, John H. Ferguson, saying that the law violated the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that the law was constitutional as long as the facilities are "separate but equal". -
19th Amendment
The fight for women's suffrage was a long battle. American women first began fighting for their right to vote in the 1800s. Nearly a century later, the 19th Amendment was passed, legally guaranteeing women the right to vote. Black women still had a bit to go due to Jim Crow laws. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that schools for black children were not equal to schools for white children, and that the segregation violated the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Brown. They ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This ruling helped dismantle the "separate but equal" precedent established by Plessy v. Ferguson . -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was first proposed by President John F. Kennedy, then was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act banned segregation of races in all public places. Title Vll of the act also banned workplace discrimination based on religion, race, national origin, and gender. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
While the 15th Amendment was a step in the right direction for securing the rights of black people, it wasn't very effective. Stuff like poll taxes and literacy tests were used to keep black people from voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, outlawed those discriminatory voting practices. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders were present for the signing of the act. -
Reed v. Reed
The Idaho Probate Code required for males to be preferred over females when appointing administrators of estates. After their son's death, both Sally and Cecil Reed wanted to be named administrator of their son's estate. The Probate Code appointed Cecil as the administrator, and Sally challenged this, saying it violated the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Sally, and said that the Probate Code violated the 14th Amendment. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment would have specifically prohibited federal, state, and local governments from passing discriminatory laws or unequally enforcing laws based on gender. It was passed by the Senate on March 22, 1972. However, it fell 3 states short of ratification. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke, a white man, had applied twice for the University of California Medical School at Davis. Despite having excellent grades, he was rejected both times due to the school's racial quota. The Supreme Court ruled that a quota system that excludes candidates purely by race is discrimination, and therefore illegal. However, there exists other forms of affirmative action that could be used by the school. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is when governments and organizations put policies in place in order to make up for past and current discrimination. This is usually done by including and favoring people who are parts of minorities that have been/are discriminated against. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Many states at the time outlawed sodomy, Georgia being one of them. After Hardwick got arrested for practicing sodomy in his home, he filed a lawsuit, claiming that the law was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled that acts of sodomy do not have constitutional protections, and that states can outlaw it. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. The act prohibits discrimination towards disabled people in all areas of public life. The ADA is divided into 5 titles, each one relating to a different area of public life. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act (officially known as the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993") made voting much more accessible for U.S. citizens. It is nicknamed the Motor Voter Act because it requires states to allow people to register to vote when they apply for their drivers license. The act was created in order to increase the number of Americans registering to vote, and it succeeded -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence was arrested for having sex with another adult man in his house by Houston Police. At that time, it was illegal for same-sex couples to have sex in Texas, but not for different-sex couples. The Supreme Court ruled that the Texas law violated the Due Process clause. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Same-sex couples argued that state bans on same-sex marriage and states refusal to recognize same-sex marriages were unconstitutional and violated the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment guarantees the right to marry for both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages.
