-
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott v. Sandford was a Supreme Court case that decided that slaves were not American citizens. After living in Illinois where slavery was illegal, Dred Scott moved to Missouri, and after being enslaved, he sued his master saying that since he was a free man in Illinois, he should be free even after moving to Missouri. The Supreme Court disagreed saying he could not sue, because he was property. This is a landmark case because it determined that African-Americans were legally property. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was passed to abolish slavery in the United States. This is important because it was the first step towards equality between black and white people. It also defined the start of the Reconstruction Era and faced a lot of backlash from southern states. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment states that all citizens have equal protection under the law. It also grants citizenship to all people born in the United States. This is one of the most important amendments ever passed because it is another enforcement of due process, which now includes all citizens and guarantees fair protection for everyone. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted African-American men the right to vote. Although this is a federal law, a lot of states could still add limits to this by having literacy tests that were almost impossible to pass, voting taxes, and white primaries so that African-Americans still could not vote. This went on for almost 100 years until the Voting Rights Act of 1964. -
Jim Crow Era
The Jim Crow Era of the United States was an era defined by the segregation and disenfranchisement of the African-American people. Many southern states incorporating things like literacy tests, white primaries, and grandfather clauses that restricted African-Americans from voting and protected white voting rights. This era ends with the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950's. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court that established the precedent of "separate but equal". After Homer Plessy, a 7/8 Caucasian man sat in a white-only railroad car with some companions, he was arrested. In trial, he argued that the law that he was arrested in violation of violated the 13th and 14th amendments. The Supreme Court disagreed and he was convicted. This is important because of the precedent it set about segregation that was followed for over 50 years. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment guaranteed American women the right to vote. After a long time of protesting, marches, and conventions regarding women's suffrage, the 19th amendment finally got women the right to vote. This is important because it was the first step towards gender equality in America. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was never actually ratified into the Constitution. It was initially proposed to Congress in 1923 after the 19th amendment was passed in 1920. This amendment was going to end the legal inequalities between men and women in terms of property and divorce where before, men had many more rights. Although this was never passed, women gained greater equality through other government acts that eventually gave women more rights than they had before. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a Supreme Court case that struck down the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson regarding the idea of "separate but equal". A black woman was forced to send her child to a worse school very far away from her home simply because she was black. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court declared that separate was never equal, and therefore unconstitutional due to the 14th amendment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed into law to outlaw discrimination in public places, as well as make discriminating in jobs illegal. Due to opposition in the House, the bill took a long time to pass. Many Southern representatives were very against the law. This is important because it ended segregation and racial discrimination protected under law for good. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is favoring someone from a minority group in order to level the playing field and also increase diversity. This mostly applied to admission into colleges and employment, where colleges and companies would save spots for non-white people, so they would have diversity. This is important because it guaranteed employment positions for people from minority groups and started to provide more opportunities for minorities that didn't exist before. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 fully guaranteed the right to vote for African-Americans by outlawing literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and other discriminatory practices that disenfranchised black people simply because they were black. This is important because it ended another form of racial discrimination that existed in the United States for almost 200 years. This act also allowed for federal examiners to go to places that could still be discriminating and give voting rights. -
Reed v. Reed
Reed v. Reed was a Supreme Court case that decided that preference of a man over a woman in a legal matter is unconstitutional and violates the 14th amendment. Sally and Cecil Reed were divorced parents that wanted to handle their dead son's estate. The government mandated that men be preferred over women in instances like this. This is important because it got women closer to men in legal terms. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a Supreme Court case that decided that the admission criteria of race in the university violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. A white man with very good test scores was not admitted to the medical school because they were saving spots for qualified minorities due to their affirmative action program for diversity. This is important because it said that you cannot deny anyone solely on the basis of race. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick was a Supreme Court case that decided there was no constitutional protection for sodomy, so states could outlaw it if they saw fit. After Hardwick was observed having relations with his same-sex partner. After arguing that outlawing sodomy was unconstitutional the Supreme Court disagreed with a 5-4 decision. This is important because it maintained the fact that many states outlawed gay relations and could still punish people for it -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disabilities in many areas. For example, it forced all public buildings to be accessible to all people with disabilities. Also, it guarantees no discrimination in employment against disabled people. This is important because it ends another form of discrimination and got the United States closer to equality for every American. -
Motor Voter Act
Also called the National Voter Registration Act, the Motor Voter Act made it much easier for Americans to register to vote and keep their registration. This allows mail-in registration forms and allows everyone to register when they turn 18 and get a drivers license. This is important because voting is one of the most important civil liberties any citizen can have and needs to be protected. Now it is -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas was a Supreme Court case that overruled Bowers v. Hardwick and decided that arresting the men violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th amendment. After 2 men were arrested for engaging in consensual acts in their house, they contested that. This is important because it said the government cannot invade you privacy and deny you of liberty because of intimate acts by members of the LGBTQ+ community. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges was a Supreme Court case that decided that same-sex marriage being illegal was against the 14th amendment and is now legal. After multiple same-sex couples suing in many states saying that denying same-sex marriages violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment, The Supreme Court agreed. This is important because it was a huge step towards equality for LGBTQ+ Americans.