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The Dred Scott Case
Was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court held that the U.S. Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, and therefore the rights and privileges it confers upon American citizens could never apply to them. Impact it had was it helped people realize that they needed to stop slavery. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Impact was it changed the federal legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the designated areas of the South from slave to free. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Impact was it abolished slavery. -
14th Amendment
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Impact was that it granted citizenship to all people born in the US. -
15th Amendment
Prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". Impact was gave men of all color the right to vote. -
Jim Crow Laws
Were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. All were enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by white Democratic-dominated state legislatures after the Reconstruction period. The laws were enforced until 1965. Impact was it enforced racial segregation. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court issued in 1896. Impact was it t upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality – a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal". -
Creation of the NAACP
Is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as a bi-racial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans. Impact was helped eliminate race-based discrimination. -
19th Amendment
Prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. Impact was it granted women the right to vote. -
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years. Impact was it helped stopped racism. -
Brown vs. The Topeka Board of Education
Was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that American state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. Impact was it made equal opportunity in education for all races. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a seminal event in the civil rights movement. Impact was that it got the US Supreme court to declare that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. -
Little Rock Nine
A group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas. Impact was the students were the first to go to school after the Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. -
"I Have A Dream" Speech
Delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Impact was it brought greater attention to the civil rights movement. -
The March on Washington
Was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. Impact was helped provide fair working opportunities for African Americans. -
Freedom Summer
Was a volunteer campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African-American voters as possible in Mississippi. Impact was it helped congress to pass the Civil Rights Act. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Impact was it prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations -
Selma, Alabama Marches
Were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery. Impact was help African Americans to have the right to vote. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. Impact was it outlawed the discriminatory voting practices. -
NOW
An American feminist organization founded in 1966. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. Impact was equal rights for women and girls. -
Creation of the Black Panther Party
Was a political organization founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, California. Impact was monitored police violence in black communities. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
An American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Impact was that his death led to many riots. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. Impact was it provided equality between men and women. -
Title IX
A federal civil rights law in the United States of America that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. Impact was prevented gender discrimination in US educational athletic system. -
Roe vs. Wade
Is a landmark decision issued in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of the constitutionality of laws that criminalized or restricted access to abortions. Impact was it made abortion legal.