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Dred Scott v. Sandford
This case argued that all African Americans, free or not, were not American citizens and therefore did not have the right to sue in court. This case also argued that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. These were steps backwards for civil rights in the United States, making it more difficult for equality to be realized. -
13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery in the United States. This is significant not only because it officially makes slavery against the law, but also because it is the first constitutional mention of slavery in the United States. While the issue had been previously ignored, this addresses it head-on, -
14th amendment
This amendment makes it so that all people born in the United States are made citizens of the United States and are given equal protection under the constitution. This made African-Americans citizens and constitutionally gave them rights. This amendment is also later used to extend the bill of rights to the states through selective incorporation. -
15th Amendment
This amendment gives African-Americans the right to vote. This was a very controversial topic at the time and angered many white southerners. This amendment also angered women, as they had helped fight for African-American rights but were still not given the right to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This Supreme Court case was a landmark decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation by using the "separate but equal" doctrine. This argued that it was okay for racial segregation to exist, as long as both parties were given equal accommodations. After this ruling, races were kept separate in the south, but accommodations were certainly not equal. Separate schooling, bathrooms, and buses were worse, and this was eventually overturned in Brown v Board. -
19th Amendment
This amendment gave women the right to vote. This had been a long time coming, and was a landmark decision for women empowerment in America. Many women felt that this should have come a lot sooner, considering that African-Americans had been given the right to vote much earlier. -
White Primaries
These were primary elections held in the south where only white men were able to participate. This contributed to the disenfranchisement of African Americans and other minorities. The Supreme Court heard three cases regarding white primaries in 1927, 1932, and 1935, and eventually deemed them unconstitutional. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case overturned Plessy v Ferguson. It ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional, even if the schools were said to be equal. The case originated with a young black girl who was denied admittance at her local school, but instead had to ride a bus to the nearest segregated school. The ruling did not outline any means of desegregating schools, but simply said that it must be done quickly. -
Poll Taxes
These were a fee that people needed to pay before voting, and were often used to prevent African-Americans from voting. Even after they had been given the legal right to vote, poll taxes made it so they couldn't because many were struggling economically. These were present from 1890 up until 1964, where the 24th amendment deemed them unconstitutional. -
24th Amendment
This amendment abolished poll taxes, which required that someone pay a tax in order to vote. These taxes had previously been a way to indirectly prevent African Americans from voting, as they were often struggling economically. This took away some of the Southern states' power to take away African-American rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act prevents discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also outlaws unequal voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, work, or public places. This was made specifically to fight against racial discrimination and segregation in the south, where there were often separate schools, separate bathrooms, and difficulties in employment. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This legislation was enacted in order to guarantee the voting rights specified in the 14th and 15th amendments. Before, southern governments worked hard to prevent African-Americans and other minorities from voting. This act secured the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the US and is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation in US history. -
Reed v. Reed
In this case, a separated married couple had a dispute over which of the two should be named administrator of the estate of their deceased son. Idaho code stated that men should be preferred to females, and gave the property to the man. This was then taken to court and ruled unconstitutional as a violation of the 14th amendment equal protection clause. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment was designed in order to guarantee equal rights for both men and women. This would take away the legal distinction between men and women in things like divorce, property, and employment. It wasn't passed at first because of conservative women opposition, but was eventually revived and ratified in certain states. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In this case, a man denied admittance to the University of California went to court to challenge the school's affirmative action program. In order to encourage minority, this school had set aside specific seats for minority students. While the court ruled that this was unconstitutional and a violation of the equal protection clause, consideration of race while determining admittance was still permitted. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action includes policy that supports people who have previously suffered discrimination. This has been used to take away inequalities of employment and pay, increase access to education, and promote diversity. This became and issue in Regents of the University of California v. Blake, when people thought that this was discriminatory against white people. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case upheld a Georgia law that criminalized homosexual sodomy in private between consenting adults. The case was centered around a right to privacy, and was later overturned in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
This is an act that prevents discrimination based on disability. It seeks equality, but also requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. This means that accessibility must be made for all people. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This was the case that officially overturned Bowers v. Hardwick. It ruled that laws prohibiting consensual homosexual sex were unconstitutional. It affirmed the idea of a right to privacy, similar to how Roe v. Wade was decided. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This Supreme Court case ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry, as is guaranteed by the due process clause and equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment. This requires all 50 states to recognize and perform same-sex marriage under the came conditions as heterosexual marriage. This overturned Baker v. Nelson and created much controversy within the United States.
