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Dred Scott v. Sandford Court case
Scott filed suit for his freedom from Missouri because his residence in a free territory made him a free man. The majority voted that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and Scott wasn't a free man in free territory. They also proclaimed that slaves were property under the 5th amendment. -
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Jim Crow Era
Following the 13th amendment legal racial segregation began in the U.S. these laws dictated everything that African Americans did. The legislature and police were former confederate soldiers making the system biased against African Americans. This segregation lasted until around the 1960's when Voting Rights were passed and The Fair Housing Act was passed. -
13th Amendment
The the thirteenth amendment states that Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. This amendment abolished slavery in the U.S -
14th Amendment
The fourteenth amendment states No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. This amendment granted citizenship to all people whether they were enslaved before or not. Allowing for equal protection for all. -
15th Amendment
The fifteenth amendment states that The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This allowed African American Men to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Challenging the Separate Car Act, which established whites only cars and black only cars, Plessy sat in the whites only car and was arrested for it. The court held that the law was constitutional and was not treating African Americans as inferior because they had their own separate car. The segregation didn't constitute unlawful discrimination. -
19th Amendment
The nineteenth amendment states The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. This allowed for women to finally have the right to vote. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act AKA the National Voter Registration Act required that States offer voter registration opportunities at State motor vehicle agencies and in mail registrations. Overall, the Act allows for more options to register to vote. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Segregation in schools due to race was a rising conflict because African American students were being denied enrollment into public schools. They argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court decided that separate facilities was inherently unequal and violates the 14th amendment. This was monumental in have equal opportunity in education for students in the U.S. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Discrimination against others based on race, sex, age, and color was deemed illegal under the act. This civil rights act's provisions prohibited discrimination in hiring, promoting, and firing. The law is still regarded as one of the most important legislative victories in American history. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action induces positive discrimination. This prompts the action of government or organizations to include more diversity between race, gender, and sexuality. It decreased the minority of groups in a work place and allowed for more diversity and improve employment. -
Reed v. Reed
The state of Idaho had the belief that men were preferred over women, meaning that men were superior to women and would be chosen over women. In Reed v. Reed Sally and Cecile Reed had to decide who got their son's estate. Idaho chose Cecile because he was a man. The Supreme Court decided that the dissimilar treatment between men and women was unconstitutional and is against the Equal Protection Clause. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment states that Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. This act established equality between men and women in owning property, employment and other matters. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Bakke, a white male, applied to the University's Med School twice and was denied both times. The school reserves 16 spots for minorities to increase the diversity in the school. Since Bakke was denied with higher scores than those minority students he took the problem to court. The supreme court held that it was somewhat in violation to the Equal Protection Clause but it was permissible to use race as a criteria for admissions. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Poll taxes, literacy tests, and other limitations were set to prevent African Americans from voting. The Voting Rights Act attempted to remove constraints imposed by state and local laws on African Americans' ability to exercise their right to vote. This act is a monumental piece in history that allowed all to vote. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Michael Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer while engaging in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy with another adult in the bedroom of his home. The court held that there were no protections for act of sodomy and states could make the decision to outlaw those prectices or not. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and all public and private locations that are accessible to the general public. This set a law to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity in these fields. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Responding to a reported weapons disturbance in a private residence, Houston police entered John Lawrence's apartment and saw him and another adult man, Tyron Garner, engaging in a private, consensual sexual act. Texas had a law against this sort of act and the problem was brought to the Supreme Court. The court held that Texas' law was against the Due Process Clause and right to liberty. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant state agencies to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans on same-sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages that occurred in jurisdictions that provided for such marriages. The court ruled that due to the 14th amendment, states have to require a license for same sex marriages and have to recognize a legal same sex marriage.