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Dred Scott v. Sandford
In this Supreme Court case, it was decided that Americans of African decent were not considered American and didn't have the right to sue in court. This was decided because Dred Scott a free man in Illinois was sent back to his master in Missouri even though he was free in Illinois. This court case was a landmark case because it said African Americans weren't citzens -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment was a turning point in American society because it said that slavery or involuntary servitude was allowed in the United States except for cases of crime or punishment. This was one of the first steps to giving African Americans rights and lead to more amendments passing later in our Country's history. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment says that all persons born in the United States are granted citizenship, including the former slaves at the time. This is another amendment that paved the way to equal rights for African Americans and was very controversial at its time. -
15th Amendment
This amendment simply granted African American males the right to vote. This was another amendment that gave rights to African Americans even if it wasn't all African Americans. This amendment shows how America's equality has changed over the years. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a supreme court case that basically said "separate, but equal" was constitutional as long as facilities were equal in quality. This case was a precedent that said that separation of races was equal. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment said that a vote shall not be denied from a person on the basis of sex. This essentially gave all women the right to vote and almost doubled the voter population. -
White Primaries
The White Primaries were primary elections held in southern states where only whites were allowed to cast their vote. Eventually this was made illegal, but at the time this was a very normal process. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act made it easier for citizens to register to vote because it made it that they could sign up when they get a license. This increased voter turnout. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a precedent Supreme Court case that decided segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Although segregation in schools became illegal, many schools didn't follow this rule. This became the start of ending segregation in America. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination. The 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments are all examples of affirmative action along with acts like the civil rights act of 1964. -
Poll Tax
The poll tax was a fixed tax that was a valuable source of income for the federal government for a while as it set a tax for all voting polls. This made it hard for some individuals to pay for voting and resulted in less voters. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment basically said that there would be no more poll tax in federal elections. This made it easier for all those eligible to vote to go and vote. The significance of this was that is encouraged more voting in federal elections. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was placed in order to prevent discrimination based on race, religion or national origin. Even after the amendments passed, African Americans were still not treated fairly. This act was significant because it was another step in order to protect civil rights. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the use of things like literary test as prerequisites for voters, especially in states down south. This was another act that was placed to provide equality for black voters. -
Reed v. Reed
Reed v. Reed was a Supreme Court case that decided when appointing administrators of an estate it could not be based off sex. They use the equal protection in the 14th amendment to decide this case and was another case for women's rights -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment that said there shall be equal legal rights for citizens regardless of their sex. In cases of divorce, property and other matters this created in cases between men and women. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a Supreme Court case that said a university's admission criteria could not use race as a definite for admissions criteria. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick was a Supreme Court decision that said the 14th amendment does not stop the states from punishing same-sex relationships for having sexual relations in private. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was placed to get rid of discrimination of citizens based on disabilities. This meant public accommodations in things like transportation and employment. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas was a Supreme Court case that overruled the criminal punishment for same-sex private relations and ruled those criminal punishments unconstitutional -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges was a big Supreme Court case that decided same-sex marriage is legal according to the equal rights and equal protection clauses. This was another example of providing equality in America.