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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Supreme Court decision which ruled that enslaved people were not considered citizens of the United States, and therefore slaves were not guaranteed rights in federal courts. Invalidated the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which outraged abolitionists, and declared that slave states no longer had to follow the 'once free, always free' policy. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery as an institution in the United States, including territories, and also outlawed the practice of involuntary servitude and peonage. -
14th Amendment
Established all people born in the United States or naturalized had a right to citizenship, and that no state shall enforce any laws abridging the rights of US citizens. Due process is owed to every US citizen. The 14th amendment gave citizenship rights to African Americans and guaranteed their rights in federal court (due process). -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment gave African American men the right to vote, although women of any color still did not yet have the right to vote. Although African Americans were granted the right to vote, many things kept them from being able to vote, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and using violence such as lynching to intimidate black voters into suppression. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes are levied on each person and often linked to the right to vote. Poll taxes were one of the many ways whites tried to restrict black voters, and by imposing a tax a lot of minorities couldn't afford, white people were able to find loopholes to still hold political power. -
White Primaries
White primaries were elections that were restricted to white voters only. States would use these as a way to control minorities, specifically African Americans. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The landmark case that established the 'separate but equal' phrase. it ruled that segregation laws did not violate the Constitution as long as the facilities were equal. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment gave all women (including women of color) the constitutional right to vote. Some women were still not able to vote until late in the 20th century because of state restrictions. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment that was never passed by Congress meant to guarantee equal legal rights for men and women, such as in divorce, property, employment, and other matters. -
Brown v. Board of Education
‘Separate but equal’ facilities are inherently unequal and violate the protections of the equal protections clause of the 14th amendment, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Affirmative Action
Policies that is aimed at increasing workplace or educational opportunities for minorities who have been oppressed socially. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment gave citizens the right to vote in any Presidential or Congressional election without having to pay a poll tax or any other type of tax which would prohibit certain citizens from exercising their voting rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which both banned segregation, and outlawed employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson and outlawed discriminatory voting practices in the United States. It helps to enforce the 15th amendment in guaranteeing fair and equal voting rights to African Americans. -
Reed v. Reed
The Idaho Probate Code, which preferred men to women in land ownership, was found unconstitutional as it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
A white adult was not admitted to a medical school due to affirmative action spots, and argued he was being discriminated against because of his race. The Court had no clear majority opinion, but Bakke was admitted to the medical school, on the accounts of the fact that the use of racial quota systems violated the Equal Protection Clause. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was caught engaging in consensual sexual intercourse by a police officer, and was arrested and charged. Court found that there was no protections in the Constitution against homosexual sex, so states were still allowed to outlaw it. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several places, such as employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to government programs. -
Motor Voter Act
Established regulations that allowed people to vote through mail, allowed people to register when applying for a driver's license, and provided accommodations to allow disabled citizens to vote. Helped to increase the drop in recent voter participation. -
Lawrence v. Texas
In this landmark case, sodomy, or same-sex laws were invalidated, making same-sex activity legal in every state, therefore overturning Bowers v. Hardwick -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
