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Dred Scott v. Sandford
The court decided that the constitution wasn't meant to include black people as American citizens. Weather they were free or a slave they did not have the rights and privileges of the citizens. The decision was made based off Dred Scott, a slave who was freed in the Missouri Territory. When he went back to Missouri he claimed that he was still free. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. It was the first of the Reconstruction Amendments after the civil war. Secretary of State William H. Seward proclaimed its adoption. -
14th Amendment
Addressed citizenship rights and protection to former slaves after the Civil War. This amendment got some backlash, mostly from the Confederate States, because they were forced to ratify it to get reorganization in Congress. -
15th Amendment
Prohibited the federal government and the states to deny citizens the right to vote based on their "race,color, or previous condition of servitude." It was the last of the Reconstruction Amendments following the Civil War. -
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Poll Taxes
Payed before someone could vote. After the right to vote was extended to African Americans, Southern States started poll taxes to stop them from voting. They still allowed poor whites to vote because they started grandfather clauses. -
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White Primaries
Primary election in Southern States where only white voters were able to participate. Established by the Democratic Party in South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia.This was used to disenfranchise black voters. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
"Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality." "Separate but equal" doctrine. This allowed re-establishing segregation in the south after the Reconstruction Era. -
19th Amendment
Prohibited the government from denying the right to vote based on sex. This idea was introduced to Congress in 1878 but failed until passing the House of Representatives in 1919. It was the product of a decades long movement for women's suffrage. -
Equal Rights Amendment
It was a proposed amendment with the purpose to guarantee equal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It wanted to end distinctions between men in women in divorcee, property, employment, and other matters. Written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Court ruled that laws establishing segregation in schools are unconstitutional, even if they are equal. The Court voted unanimously that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" so they violated the 14th Amendment. -
Affirmative Action
Features terms of "positive discrimination" and "positive action". Describes policies that support members of a disadvantaged group, now help them live more equally. Helps inequalities in employment, education and diversity. -
24th Amendment
Prohibited Congress and the states from "conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax." Confederate States began poll taxes to prevent African Americans and poor whites from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. "Prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prohibited racial discrimination in voting. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law during the civil rights movement. Congress has expanded this act 6 times to include more protections. This secured voting rights to African Americans. -
Reed v. Reed
Supreme Court ruled that the "administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes." It was an Equal Protection case. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allowed race to be one of the factors in college admission policy. Later, the court decided that specific racial quotas were not acceptable. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
"Upheld... the constitutionality of a Georgia sodomy law criminalizing oral and anal sex in provide between consenting adults." This case of overturned in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Prohibited discrimination based on disability. This requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and accessibility requirements for public areas. (ADA) -
Lawrence v. Texas
The Court ruled that American laws that prohibited homosexual activity were unconstitutional. They reaffirmed the right privacy. Court based this decision on one's own relationships and of traditions of non-interference with consenting adults. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Court ruled that the right to marry is granted to same-sex couples because of the Due Process Clause and the 14th Amendment. This required all 50 states to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples with the rights and responsibilities.
