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Dred Scott v Sandford Decision
Dred Scott was an African American and former slave who, in the 1830s, lived in Illinois. Due to the act that Illinois was not a slave state, Scott lived as a free man. However, when he returned to Missouri (the place where he'd been a slave), he claimed in court that because he'd lived in a free state, he was a free man. The court ruled that Dred Scott, because his ancestors were slaves and he was African-American, he was not an American citizen and couldn't file a court case. (oyez.org) -
13th Amendment is Ratified
The 13th Constitutional Amendment is added, stating "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States." This was also called "Abolition," and it deemed slavery illegal within the United States of America. (constitutioncenter.org) -
14th Amendment Ratified
The 14th Constitutional Amendment is added, stating that anyone who was born in the United States was a US citizen and a citizen o the state they live in. Along with that, the states of these individuals must treat everyone the same, and must give them due process of law. -
15th Amendment Ratified
The 15th Constitutional Amendment is added, stating that every citizen of the United States, regardless of their race or "previous condition of servitude." This gave people of color the right to vote and have influence in U.S. elections. -
Plessy v Ferguson
When Louisiana began purchasing additional railroad cars and segregating them due to the separate but equal clause, a Louisiana committee tried to demonstrate the issue of Separate but Equal. Homer Plessy, who was 7/8 white but legally black by Louisiana law, attempted to get onto a "whites only" train, only to be arrested. The court decided that the Separate Car Act was constitutional. (oyez.org) -
19th Amendment Ratified
The 19th Constitutional Amendment is added, stating that the right to vote in the U.S. cannot be restricted due to gender. After many years of only men being able to vote, this gave women the chance to vote in United States elections. -
Brown v Board of Education
At the time of the case, many states were still segregating schools and not allowing African American students to attend based on outdated laws. It was argued that schools segregating African American students was a violation of the fourteenth amendment. The court decided that was true, and that separate but equal schools were still unequal. The court was unanimous on this case. (oyez.org) -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was a landmark act in Civil Rights, as it prevented discrimination from happening from race, religion, or gender. Previous to this, there had been "separate but equal" laws, however these still promoted segregation and discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 affected many things throughout the US, and it improved the quality and desegregation of federal programs, voting, and schools. (dol.gov) -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Approved by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 sought to fix issues that had been created after the 15th Amendment's ratification. Many states had tried to resist the amendment and restrict the right to vote for people of color, and the Voting Rights Act was created to put an and to the violence directed towards civil rights activists. -
Reed v Reed
When their adopted son passed away, Sally and Cecil Reed wanted to be administrators of his estate. However, the Idaho Probate Code stated that men must be preferred to women when it comes to being an administrator. Cecil got administrator rights, and Sally challenged the code. The court declared it was unconstitutional because of its unequal treatment of men and women. -
Title IX
Title IX was introduced in the 1970s and was designed to prevent discrimination based on gender in places of education. This also means that schools cannot refuse to educate women. Title IX applies to all schools that receive federal funding. (ed.gov) -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
When Allan Bakke, a white man, was rejected twice by the University of California Medical School, he sought to fight it in court. The school was making an increased effort to admit students from minority groups, however Bakke's GPA and test scores were higher than any of the students the school was admitting. He claimed that he was being excluded because of his race. The court decided that this was a violation of the 14th amendment, however there wasn't a majority opinion. (oyez.org) -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This law, introduced in the early 1990s, prohibited discrimination against Americans with disabilities. Jobs, education, et al had to give equal opportunities to those with disabilities. This law is similar in style to Title IX, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. (adata.org) -
Obergefell v Hodges
This was a case regarding several states' ban on same-sex marriages, including Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It was argued that the bans on same-sex marriage were a violation of the 14th amendment's Equal Protection clause. It was a 5-4 decision, but the court ruled that the Equal Protection clause applies to same-sex marriages in the same way it applies to opposite-sex ones. (oyez.org)
