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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott lived in Illinois which was a free state and then moved back to Missouri which was a slave state. He sued the state of Missouri saying that he was a free man because of his residency in Illinois. He lost this case because the courts ruled that generational slaves weren't American citizens and according to the 5th amendment, unconstitutional to take someone's property -
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JIm Crow Era
After the Civil War and the amendments were passed that gave African Americans' freedom, they started to prosper within their communities. This angered a lot of white communities so state government started to pass laws that limited Black Americans' rights by passing "Black Codes" that created segregation with public areas. This started the era of equal but seperate. -
13th amendment
The 13th amendment was ratified after people claimed the the Emancipation Proclamation didn't secure the rights of African Americans enough. The 13th amendment was passed 38 to 6 stating that no form of slavery or servitude should be present except in the form of a crime. -
14th amendment ratification
It was ratified to ensure that anyone born in the US was granted citizenship. This stopped confederate states from repaying war crimes or debts by keeping their enslaved people or trading their slaves. -
15th amendment ratification
this amendment was another step to completely ensure African Americans rights. The amendment stated no one should be denied the right to vote based on their skin color. while the emanpaction proclamation freed slaves, it didn't really ensure their freedom but this solidified their rights. -
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Civil Right Times
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Plessy v. Ferguson
A mixed man sat inside a 'white only' train car trying to go against the separate car act. He was arrested when he refused to get up and go to the 'colored' car. He went to the Supreme Court saying that the Separate Car Act went against the 13th and 14th amendment. The Court ruled against him saying that because he was in their railroad routes in its boundary. -
19th amendment
The 19th amendment was finally ratified after decades of women fighting for their right to vote. This amendment guarantees women's suffrage. The amendment actually started as state laws that were adopted but other states followed and president wilson supported. -
Brown v. The Board of Education
These were multiple cases about desegregation of school and schools that were equal but separate. It was brought up that one girl has to travel a far way to get to her black only school and they took her case to the supreme court stating that it wasnt fair that she had to travel that far to her school when she lived close to a school that was white only. The Court ruled in the favor of Brown stating that separate but equal went against the 14th amendment -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended the Jim Crow Laws, stating that the USA outlaws any type of discrimination based on race, religion. sex, and national origin. This was set in act after the Civil Rights Movement and the years of the protests to get rid of the Jim Crow laws and to erase discrimination within the country. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson who was pushing to improve civil rights for minority groups. Though the 15th amendment said that you couldn't discriminate voters based on their race, the states found ways to limit the amount of POC voting. This act really made sure that People of Color could vote and this illegalized the strategies that people made to make sure they couldn't vote. -
Affirmative Action
The affirmative actions eliminated any bias or discrimination against race, religion, color, or national origin in the work space. The federal government gives work spaces contracts they have to sign to agree that they won't show bias or discrimination in their businesses. This helps improve work spaces but also keeps the workforce as equal as possible such as giving minorities equal opportunities in the work space. -
Reed v Reed
A divorced couple's son died and they both wanted the possession of his estate. The case went to court when the Idaho law basically stated that the father would get it over the mother bc of her gender. They ruled in favor of the mother stating that it went against the 14th amendment Equal Protection clause. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Bakke, white student, was applied for the University of California's Medical school and was rejected both times over students of color. The University rejected him for less qualified students so they could look more inclusive. He went to the Supreme Court over this. The court decided that it was wrong and called on to less white opposition however agreed that there should be extending gains for POC. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
A police caught to men having sex and arrested Bowers for sodomy charges. They sued and took this case to the supreme court saying that this was unconstitutional. The court rules against him saying that there was constitutional protection for acts of sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act was signed in by George Bush. The ADA protects americans with disabilities from discrimination such as in employment, in public areas and services, and helps improve their lives. This act made it so that public areas had to include accommodations for disabled people such as wheelchair ramps, handicap stalls and parking spots. -
Motor Voter Act
This act guaranteed that there were certain voter registration requirements such as mail-in votes, voting accommodations for the disables, and systems that provide accurate and recent voter registration. This allowed for less corruption within voting. -
Lawerence v. Texas
During a search of a house, two men were caught having sex and were arresting for deviate sexual intercourse. They said that this was unconstitutional because of right of privacy. They ruled with and against them. Because of the Due Process Act their arrest was unconstitutional, this cause overrode Bowers. -
Obergefell Hodges.
Groups from multiple states went to the Supreme Court to challenge the ban on same-sex marriage. They states that the ban is unconstitutional and goes against the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Law. They ruled in their favor stating that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. This is a huge step forward for the LGBTQ+ community. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The amendment was first proposed in 1920 as a follow up to the 19th amendment but was shut down. This amendment stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any states on account of sex." It was finally ratified by the Virginia but hasn't been written in due to political organizations.
