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Dred Scott v. Sanford
After moving to a free state both Dred and Harriet Scott claimed that they were no longer slaves starting a court case. Even with the support from their community and abolitionist when the case was taken to the supreme court they had lost their fight for freedom. The outcome of the loss angered abolitionist leading to growing tensions between the north and south. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment was ratified banning slavery and involuntary servitude through the efforts of President Lincoln creating the first large step for black rights in America. -
14th Amendment
The purpose of the amendment was to state that anyone person born in the United States was granted citizenship and is guaranteed equal protection by the law. The amendment helped influence the outcome of supreme court cases relating to black civil rights. -
15th Amendment
The amendment prohibits any state from denying a person's right to vote based on the color of their skin. -
White Primaries
Primary elections in the southern states that consisted of white democrats that had methods of pushing away black voters such as poll taxes and literacy tests. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy, born as 1/8th black, rode on a exclusively white train car in Louisiana. The trial was taken to court and in a 7-1 ruling against Plessy he lost the trial. -
19th Amendment
Stated that your vote to right can not be denied based on your gender giving women the right to vote. -
Equal Rights Amendment
A proposed amendment designed to give all Americans equal legal rights non-gender specific, but has yet to be passed. -
Brown v. Board of Edication
The Brown family wanted to send their kid to a school closer to their home, but it was made as a white only school. In the supreme court hearing they ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, siding with the Brown family. -
Poll Taxes
In southern states poll taxes were formed to create a monetary requirement to be able to vote in order to discourage black Americans from voting. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action, signed by JFK, was formed to protect workers from discrimination based on their race and was later extended to also include women by Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Act that bans race and gender discrimination along with banning segregation based on color in public areas. -
24th amendment
The amendment prohibits states from applying poll taxes to voting. Southern states applied this tactic to discourage black voters from actually voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Follow up to the civil rights act the voting rights act was established to further protect African Americans in southern states ability to vote. Some states had local laws that worked as a way to get around the amendments already established that protected black voters. -
Reed v. Reed
It was a dispute between a separated couple over who was to take administration over their deceased son's house. Idaho code had stated that the male must be preferred, but amendment 14 says you both genders must be treated equally. Supreme court ruled that the outcome should be decided my merit and not gender, including future similar cases. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke, while in his early 30s, applied to the University of California, but was denied acceptance due to his age. Bakke took the issue to court where they sided with him due to an unfair disapproval. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Case over Georgia's sodomy law established to keep homosexual couples from being intimate was ruled as constitutional in a 5-4 ruling because there was nothing in the constitution that protected homosexual sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Act the bans discrimination based on a person's disability and also requires public areas and work places to provide accommodations for people with disabilities. -
Lawrence v. Texas
The anti-sodomy law in Texas' legality was argued in supreme court. Supreme court decided to rule the laws as unconstitutional calling it the "right to privacy" and also making it an early step for gay rights. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges was the largest court case for the gay rights movement. Ruling that all states must recognize same sex marriages and same-sex couples cannot be discriminated against protected by the due process and equal protection clause that are apart of the 14th amendment
