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Progression of US Civil Rights
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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Ruled against Scott, declaring that slaves were not considered US citizens and therefore could not sue in court. On top of that, the court stated slaves' property and therefore couldn't be taken away under the 5th amendment. Set the precedent for a history of inhibiting African American rights. -
Jim Crow Era Starts
The time of Jim Crow laws on furthered ideas of racial superiority and segregation, leading to tense relations and injustice against African Americans. As Jim Crow laws got more and more unequal, civil rights movements began to increase their presence in the US post-Civil War. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States, effectively disallowing other humans to be declared property in the US. In the process, it took debate and redrafts to get finally ratified. Marked the end of slavery in the US, but the beginning of other Civil Rights issues. -
14th Amendment
A major amendment declaring all people born or naturalized in the United States official citizens, equally protected under the laws of the Constitution. However, as years passed, some laws weren't so "equal." -
15th Amendment
An amendment that declared voting cannot be limited on the basis of race. While important, this amendment, unfortunately, didn't accomplish much, as states still limited the voting of African Americans through other means such as imprisonment, literacy tests, or taxes. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
A landmark US Supreme Court case declared segregation allowed on the basis of "separate but equal." In reality, the facilities were anything but equal in many cases, with white facilities outclassing black in many aspects. Laid the basis of many further Jim Crow ideas and laws. -
19th Amendment
Permitted all citizens to vote without regard for sex, in other words, allowed women to vote state and nationwide. Marked a big moment for woman's civil rights in the US, with many iconic figures emerging surrounding the event. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In a vital Supreme Court case for African American civil rights, the court declared unanimously that the Plessy v. Ferguson case was inherently unequal and unconstitutional. Under the 14th amendment, schools were to be unified without regard to race. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was a divided decision with the longest filibuster in US history. It changed requirements on many aspects of voting and put guidelines on the use of literacy tests. Marked one of the first events of the Civil Rights movement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited state governments from preventing voting on the basis of race and other barriers under the 15th amendment. This act marked the enforcement of the 15th amendment after almost a century. -
Affirmative Action
On September 24, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin by those organizations receiving federal contracts and subcontracts. -
Reed v. Reed
Another important case for the civil rights of women in the US, Reed v. Reed removed the ability for states to have a "preferred gender" in administration, allowing them more power in government. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Made it so that all citizens of the US have equal rights regardless of sex, allowing more equal footing on aspects of property, marriage, etc. Some states have not ratified the amendment to this day. -
Regents of the UCal v. Bakke
After a white man was rejected from UCal a second time, he discovered that over 16% of the admittees were reserved for "qualified minorities," Bakke took it to court and the Supreme Court declared the quotas unconstitutional. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
After being observed engaging in homosexual acts, Hardwick was detained for breaching Georgia state laws against gay sodomy, he brought it to court but ends up losing in a close decision due to "not being easily identifiable" in the Constitution. This decision would set a precedent on privacy and homosexual rights. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, demanding better infrastructure for disabled individuals on public and government property. Marked a major moment in the rights of disabled people in the US. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act, AKA National Voter Registration Act was passed into law by Bill Clinton and allowed votes to be submitted through mail, or at other government facilities. It simplified the process and made it easier for all citizens to vote. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Overturning Bowers v. Hardwick, this case many years later declared the Texas Statute against same-sex relations a violation of the Due Process Clause. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Ruled in a landmark decision that the 14th Amendment requires all states to license marriages between same-sex couples and to recognize all marriages that were lawfully performed out of state.