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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave that was eventually freed in Mississippi. The court was ruling whether or not Scott was considered a free man or a slave. The court ruled that because his ancestors were imported to the United States, that Scott wasn't considered a citizen and was not free -
13th Amendment Passing
The 13th amendment, effectively abolishing slavery, was passed on January 31st 1865. The amendment outlawed servitude unless it was a punishment for someone after they were lawfully convicted -
14th Amendment Passing
The 14th amendment was the main spearhead used by civil rights activists in court to show that they too deserved equal rights. The 14th amendment says that life and liberty should not be deprived of ANY person. This amendment is also known as the "equal protection clause". -
15th Amendment Passing
The 15th Amendment was the "Equal Voting" clause passed by congress. It prohibited people being denied the right to vote based on race, color, or whether or not they were a slave. This was a major victory for the civil rights of African-Americans at the time. -
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Jim Crow Era
Jim Crow was a racially discriminatory system primarily employed in southern states and their border states. Throughout this era, African-Americans were treated like second class citizens, not only culturally but also legally. Although slavery has been outlawed, there were still many legal barriers put in place by the government to suppress those citizens and make them feel inequal. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a court case that said that the laws states made to continue segregation in their states, did not violate the 14th amendment including the equal protection clause. This case was decided in the middle of the Jim Crow Era and was another thing done by the United States to assist states in continuing segregation legally. -
19th Amendment Passing
The 19th Amendment gave women the right the vote. It was the culmination of many months of protesting by the suffrage rights leaders. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a court case the abolished the separate but equal doctrine, previously practiced in most segregated places. The separate but equal doctrine aimed to make segregation legal but in this court case, it was determined that it was impossible to be separate and equal. This landmark case marked the official outlawing of segregation in the United States. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark court decision, essentially outlawing all forms of institutional segregation at the time. All forms of "legal" segregation were abolished by this act, granting African-Americans equality through law. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act, signed in by President Johnson, was directed at protecting African-American citizens right to vote. With things such as poll taxes and literacy tests being used, along with the grandfather clause, there were many barriers aimed at preventing African-Americans from voting. This Voting Rights Act, was passed to eliminate those barriers. -
Affirmative Action Introduction
Affirmative Action are steps taken to prevent discrimination specifically unlawful discrimination among applicants for jobs. Set in place to help the present environment that was caused by policies in the past. Supposed to give women and other minorities and disabled people fair representation in the workplace. -
Reed v Reed
The case of Reed v Reed was a case that was deciding over an Idaho probate code stating that men must always be preferred over women when it comes to being estate administrators. Cecil and Sally reed brought this to the courts and it was decided that the Idaho state probate code violated the equal protection clause under the 14th amendment. -
The Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment states that there is an equality of rights under law that may not be infringed upon on account of sex. This prohibits any federal or state agency in practicing gender discrimination or sexism legally. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a supreme court case covering racial preference in regards to college admissions. This case found that using race as an exclusive and definite factor for admission very clearly violated the Equal Protections Clause under the 14th amendment -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick was a court case that was a very split decision in the supreme court. It covered the act of sodomy and whether or not states had the foundational rights to outlaw these acts, even in private residencies. The 5-4 decision ruled that states could outlaw it as the constitution gave no fundamental rights to homosexuals to participate in acts previously outlawed by the states. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prevents discrimination based on disabilities. Some of the effects are equality in employment, the purchasing of both goods and services and general accessibility to public buildings -
Motor Voter Act
The "Motor Voter Act" was an act that outlined voter registration requirements in regards to elections for federal office positions. The act requires that states offer voting registration at all of the states BMVs/DMVs. This was meant to make voting registration less confusing and easily accessible to more citizens -
Lawrence v. Texas
This court case was another case overseeing the rights of homosexuals and what lawfulness the states hade in prohibiting it. The decision reached by the court overturned the decision made in Bowers v. Hardwick, it stated that states couldn't treat it as a criminal offense as it would violate the "due process clause" in the Constitution. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges was a court case covering the legality of same-sex couples, specifically whether or not same-sex couples could legally marry and reap those benefits of being legally married. The court ruled that the 14th amendment required both marriage licensing and legal recognition for same-sex couples in the United States. A landmark case and one of the most major civil rights cases ever decided, especially in recent times as this case is more in the modern era.
