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Dred Scott v. Sanford
During Dred Scott v. Sandford, the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, free or enslaved, were not American citizens and did not have the right to sue in federal court. The court also decided that slave owners were protected under the 5th Amendment because slaves were considered property. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery and "involuntary servitude" except as a means of punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed with a 38 to 6 vote. This amendment also allows for people to be prosecuted for forcing someone to do work. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment states that all people born in the United States are United States Citizens, including former enslaved people. The 14th amendment also states that there will be equal protection of all citizens meaning no states can deny a person of "life, liberty, or property." -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment states that no one should be denied voting based on race or prior servitude. Thus, allowing African American men the right to vote. But, in the late 1870s, discriminatory practices were used to prevent African Americans from voting. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was the legal basis for racial segregation. The courts decision of "separate but equal" upheld the Jim Crow laws. This allowed for racial segregation in buses, trains, schools, and other public places. This upheld legal segregation for the next 50 years. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The nineteenth amendment outlawed discriminating people to vote based on their gender. Thus, this allowed women to vote. The National Women Suffrage Association led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton pushed for this amendment to pass. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education established that state laws that allowed racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.The case started when a public school in Kansas refused to enroll the daughter of an African American resident, Oliver Brown. The case went on for 3 years and resulted in a 9-0 vote in favor of Oliver Brown and his daughter. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed the discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and national origin. These acts ended public and employment discrimination. This is considered one of the greatest acts of the civil rights movement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed voting discrimination. It outlawed many prerequisites that the Southern states required before a person many vote like a literacy test. -
Reed v. Reed
Reed v. Reed decided that the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th amendment prohibited discrimination/different treatment based on sex. This invalidated the Idaho law that required a man be chosen over a women as an administrator of an estate. Reed v. Reed was the first major supreme court case that addressed the discrimination of gender. -
Title IX
Title IX guaranteed that no one can de denied education based on their sex. Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. This amendment allowed for women to be guaranteed education. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The court decided that universities use of racial "quotas" was unconstitutional. But, this also allowed the use of "affirmative action" in college admissions to accept more minorities. This overturned the idea of "separate but equal." -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act states that no one can be discriminated based on disabilities in a workplace or at school. This law was fist passed in 1990 but was amended in 2008 and became effective in 2009. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges ruled that same-sex marriage is constitutional under the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause on the 14th Amendment. The supreme court voted in a 5-4 decision in favor of Obergefell.
