-
Dred Scott vs Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri but lived in Illinois, a free state. He filed for his freedom as a free man because he resided in a free state. The court said that anyone born as a slave or to a slave doesn't have freedoms and just because a slave lives in a free state doesn't mean he is a free man nor an American citizen. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. Its ratification began the civil rights movements and transformation of America into a free country. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment granted slaves citizenship in the United States. It also states that no state has the power to deny a citizen life, liberty, or property. The intent of this amendment was to overturn the Dred Scott vs Sanford case where the court said any slave was not a citizen. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment was ratified to give everyone the right to vote regardless of their color. This amendment acted as one of the "final" amendments to giving people of color more rights and the beginning of ending racial injustice. -
Plessy vs Ferguson
Plessy was an African American who participated in an act of sitting on the white person train when segregation was still very prominent. He refused to get off the train and was arrested. The court found that segregation did not abridge the 13th or 14th amendments because equal but separate treatment does not go against the 14th amendment's equal protection clause. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. This was one of the first steps toward gender equality and led to many other civil rights and gender equality movements. -
Brown vs Board of Education
In a variety of states, African American students were being denied acceptance into schools because of their race. The schools had previously gotten off the hook using the Plessy vs Ferguson ruling, but the court finally decided that separating and denying students acceptance simply based on race violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first act passed to try to end segregation and stop racism in America. It made public accommodations based solely on race unconstitutional and gave people of color more rights both in public and in private settings such as in the school or when voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 illegalized using literacy tests and other unfair restrictions to prevent African Americans from voting. This act allowed all people of all genders, all religions, and all races to be able to vote. It was one of the most influential acts passed when it comes to complete equality in voting, -
Reed vs Reed
Cecil and Sally Reed lost a child, and by the laws of the time, the administration of a deceased child goes to the man. Sally challenged this law in court and the court ruled in her favor saying that automatically appointing administration to the male violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. -
Title lX
Title lX ensures the equality of both races in the school place to provide equal opportunity for education. This offered a wide range of protections for women regarding sexual harassment, programs, education, athletics, activities, and financial assistance. -
Regents of the University of California vs Bakke
Bakke, a white man, submitted two applications to the University of California and was denied both times because the spots were being held for minorities. However, Bakke's qualifications were superior to those of any other applicant. He took it to the court where they then sided with him saying that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 denies any quota based solely on race. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act provided the same protections and rights to disabled people as people of color and different genders had. This act prohibits discrimination against a disabled person in any aspect of life whether it be in school, in the workplace, or in any private or public environment. -
Obergefell vs Hodges
A multitude of same-sex couples challenged the constitutional legality of denying a same-sex couple marriage and denying them recognition as a married couple by the state. The court sided with the couples saying that by the equal protection clause and due process clause of the 14th amendment, states are required to both allow same-sex couples to get married and recognize their marriage by state law, even if they got married in another state.
