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3/5 Compromise
A compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention about the population of slaves. -
Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions is signed
A document signed by 68 women and 32 men—100 out of some 300 attendees at the first women's rights convention to be organized by women. -
Scott v. Sandford
The Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. -
13th Amendment
It is a change to the basic and most important laws that govern the United States. It abolished slavery in the United States. -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. -
15th Amendment
It granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Plessy v. Ferguson
A Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality -
Founding of the NAACP
A civil rights organization in the United States formed to endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group. -
19th Amendment
It prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. -
ERA introduced into Congress
An amendment designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex was introduced. -
Smith v. Allwright
It overturned the Texas state law that authorized the Democratic Party to set its internal rules, including the use of white primaries. -
Truman orders the desegregation of armed forces
It abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Forces. -
Hernandez v. Texas
The Supreme Court extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled that American state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. -
Little Rock Nine
A group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School which at the time was a white school. -
24th Amendment
It prohibited any poll tax in elections for federal officials. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
It ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin -
Civil Rights and Women's equity in Employment Act
An act that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
It aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (p.s. this is on my birthday). -
National Organization of Women organized
An American feminist organization -
Ceser Chavez publicizes the plight of migrant workers
He benefitted many people by his efforts to gain better working conditions for the thousands of workers who labored on farms for low wages and under severe conditions. -
Jones v. Mayer
A Supreme Court case, which held that Congress could regulate the sale of private property to prevent racial discrimination -
Founding of the MALDEF
An organization formed to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States. -
Stonewall Riots
A series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid. -
Reed v. Reed
An Equal Protection case in the United States in which the Supreme Court ruled that the administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes. -
ERA passed by Congress
An amendment designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex was passed. -
Title IX
A federal law that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." -
Multi-member electoral districts in Texas outlawed
Districts in Texas are allowed too have multiple members in the Senate. -
Congress opens all military service academies to women
An act of Congress to open the United States Military Academies to women. -
Craig v. Boren
A majority of the United States Supreme Court determined that statutory or administrative sex classifications were subject to intermediate scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. -
Dothard v. Rawlinson
The first United States Supreme Court case which the bona fide occupational qualifications defense was used. -
Plyler v. Doe
It struck down both a state statute denying funding for education to undocumented immigrant children -
"Don't Ask Don't Tell"
The policy on military service by gays, bisexuals, and lesbians, instituted by the Clinton Administration. -
Massachusetts legalizes same sex marriage
The state of Massachusetts allowed same sex marriage. -
United States v Windsor
It held that restricting U.S. federal interpretation of "marriage" and "spouse" to apply only to opposite-sex unions, by Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), is unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. -
Obergeell v Hodges
An act that ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. -
Defense of Marriage Act
It defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. -
Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado
A case in the Supreme Court of the United States that dealt with whether owners of public accommodations can refuse certain services based on the First Amendment claims of free speech and free exercise of religion.
