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Civil Rights Timespan
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13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It was passed just at the end of the Civil War. It states that " Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime." -
14th Amendment
This amendment was passed to grant anyone citizenship. This was a very successful amendment because it protected our civil rights as Americans. It also stated that you can't deny any person "life, liberty, or property without due process of law." -
Poll Taxes
The poll tax was a flat fee required before voting. It was often as high as $200 per person. The voting rights of poor blacks were disproportionately discriminated against in this method. -
15th Amendment
This amendment granted all African Americans the right to vote in the United States. It didn't come into play for almost 100 years. People continued to use poll taxes and literacy tests to keep the African Americans from registering to vote. -
Literacy Test
American political history from the 1890s to the 1960s, refers to the government practice of testing the literacy of potential citizens at the federal level, and potential voters at the state level. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case was about a man named Plessy who was considered black but was white complected. He was acused for sitting in the white car when he should have been in the colored one. He refused to move and was arrested for violating the "seperate but equal" railroad accommodations. The judge of this case said this was in fact a violation of the 13th and 14th ammendment. -
Jim Crow Laws
Racial segregation laws enacted in the United States at the state and local level. -
19th Amendment
This amendment gave women in the United States the right to vote. It took decades before the 19th amendment was passed. Women would riot and protest so they could have the same rights as men. People started to get out of hand and were jailed for their strong opinions on womens sufferage. -
Korematsu v. United States
In World War 2, President Rosevelt allowed the U.S military to ban any American citizen with japanese ansestry out of certain areas. Camps were provided to the japanese until the war was over. Fred Korematsu was told to leave his home but he refused and was taken to court. The court ruled that the nations security was more important that equal rights. Today its very obvious that this decision was unconstitusional. -
Sweatt v. Painter
This case involved a black man named Sweatt who wanted to go to the University of Texas law school only for whites. The university imediantly denied his application because he was black. The school attempted to solve the problem by making a black law school but it wasn't a great place to learn at all. Sweat went to court and the judge agreed that this was not "seperate but equal". Sweat was then admitted to the University. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case stated that segregating children in schools violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. It was agreed that public facilities could be segragated as long as they were the same. The court ordered to have black children attend white schools all over the United States. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a seminal event in the U.S. civil rights movement. It was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. -
Ruby Bridges
An American activist known for being the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South. She attended William Frantz Elementary School. -
Affirmative Action
This is to help prevent any existing discrimination from the past. The point of affirmative action is to give every American equal opprotunities wether it has to deal with employment or schooling.It will secure diversity in the United States. -
24th Amendment
The United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting any poll tax in elections for federal officials. -
Civil Rights Act
Title I of the act guarantees equal voting rights by removing registration requirements and procedures biased against minorities and the underprivileged. Title II prohibits segregation or discrimination in places of public accommodation involved in interstate commerce. Title VII bans discrimination by trade unions, schools, and employers involved in interstate commerce or doing business with the federal government. etc... -
Voting Rights Act
A law passed at the time of the civil rights movement. It eliminated various devices, such as literacy tests, that had traditionally been used to restrict voting by black people. -
Loving v. Virginia
This case involved an interacial couple who wanted to marry but knew by law that they couldn't in Virginia. They married in Washington D.C then came back to Virginia to find out they were fined for being "unlawful" and were also jailed. The judge for their case said that they had to either leave or go to prison, the chose to leave. When coming back to virginia to visit they were arested for traveling with each other. The supreme court said that bans on interracial marriage unconstitusional. -
Robert Kennedy Speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
The gathering was actually a planned campaign rally for Robert Kennedy in his bid to get the 1968 Democratic nomination for president. Just after he arrived by plane at Indianapolis, Kennedy was told of King's death. He was advised by local police against making the campaign stop which was in a part of the city considered to be a dangerous ghetto. But Kennedy insisted on going. -
Reed v. Reed
The mother with a dead adopted son said that a statute prefered males over females when it comes to the estate. Once the mother realised the father of the her son, who she was seperated with, got the estate she took it to court. The court ruled that this was in fact unconstitusional. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment adressed that one won't get denied anything based on their sex. This helped stop discrimination of women back in the day. Women were not given as equal opprotunities as males so this was made to help protect them. -
Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke
Bakke was a white man who applied to go to the University of California for medical school. He was denied and sued the shool for racial discrimination. He said it was a violation of the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment. When this case was taken to court there were 5 votes for blakke and 4 votes aggainst. They decided that this was unconstitusional. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case ivolved a homosexual male who was caught have sexual intercourse with another man in his house. He was charged for commiting consensual sodomy. This case was back and forth on if it was constitutional or not. They tlked about their "right to privacy" and Georgia's laws.In the end they decided that even though it wasnt "fundamentaly right" they still should be protected. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This prohibited people from discriminating others with disabilities in employment, transportation, ect. This Act gave Americans with dissabilities a chance follow their dreams and have the same, equal opprotunities as any other person. -
Lawrence vs. Texas
Police were called to Lawrence's appartment for "weapon disterbance". Once the police got there the two males were having sexual intercourse. Lawrence and his parnter were each fined $200. The supreme court said this was unconstitusional and that this is violating the due proccess clause. -
Fisher vs. Texas
A law was made that made the University of Texas to admit seniors who were ranked in the top 10 percent at their high school. Once seing the racial differences in the students the college desided to consider race before acceptng admissions. A girl names fisher was white and not in the top 10 percent of her class but got denied. She took the University to court and the judge ruled that this was a violation of the 14th amendment. Fisher won the case. -
Indiana's Gay Rights Court Battle
Indiana is still trying to come to a conclusion of if gay mariage bans are constitusional or not. It was sent to the 7th Circut U.S court of appeals on September 4th. It was determined that it was in fact unconstitusional but nothing is being done yet to change it. This case will go to the supreme court on the 29th to come up with a final answer.
