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White primaries
White Primaries were primary elections held in the Southern United States in which only white voters were allowed to participate. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against the texas white primary system in Smith v. Allwright. It's a legal device once employed by some Southern states to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote in a meaningful way. -
Dred Scott v Sandford
The Dred Scott v Sandford went to the U.S. Supreme Court that stated a slave who lives in a state that prohibits wasn't entitled to his freedom. Dred Scott was born into slavery and was taken into Illinois to be freed, but had their freedom taken from them in St. Louis where they went to trial. They went to court many times with the same answer of them not being able to gain their freedom and were slaves again. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment means neither slavery nor involuntary servitude won't exist within the United States or any place. It was ratified in 1865 in the aftermath of the Civil War, abolishing slavery. It caused many problems between the North and the South and ended up being the biggest factor leading to the Civil War. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment states that all people born and naturalized in the U.S. are citizens of the United States and of the State, they live in. There won't be any law enforcement that takes privileges or immunities citizens. Also, the State can't take any person's life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. This law was made to protect the former slaves who had just been freed after the Civil War. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment states that the right to vote won't be denied by the U.S. or any State because of race or color. It was passed to help grant African American men the right to vote. Even though this amendment had been passed, it didn't stop and discriminatory practices to prevent blacks from voting to be stopped. This didn't get truly resolved until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case argued that in the Supreme Court of the United States in a 7-1 decision the "separate but equal" provision of public accommodations. State governments were found to be constitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. Ferguson argued that the segregation law violated the 14th Amendment and the 13th Amendment. -
19th Amendment
It states the right of citizens of the United States to vote won't be denied by the United States because of their sex. It was passed to grant women the right to vote and grants them equal rights as men. It was passed in Tennessee with 50 out of 99 members agreeing in the House of Representatives. President Woodrow Wilson agreed to the 19th Amendment on September 30, 1918, helping end the protest. -
Brown v Board of Education
This court cased argued that the segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment meaning unconstitutional. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in this case. After this court case, it was penned as the court case for change in public schools. -
Afffirmative Action
This means the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously. No individual cannot be underrepresented because of their differences. It was signed by President John F under "Executive Order No. 10925". -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment states that the right to vote in any primary or election for President, VP, or Senator won't be denied and won't have to pay a fee. This made poll taxes illegal and made it free to vote. It was proposed om August 27, 1962 and two-thirds majority agreed on this to pass. -
Poll Taxes
Citizens used to have to pay a fee to vote in national elections. The United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution that prohibits any poll tax in elections for federal officials. The poll tax was applied to both black and white people but really affected poor citizens. They were created to keep Africans Americans from voting in southern states. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. President Lyndon Johnson signed the law in July to stop the constant efforts of discrimination. The Senate voted 73-27 in favor of the bill. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War. The voting rights act enables the right to vote of African Americans as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment. It serves and protects the 14th and 15th Amendments. -
Reed v Reed
Reed v Reed was an Equal Protection case in the United States which the Supreme Court ruled that the estates can't discriminate between sexes. Sally and Cecil Reed were apart of this court case and argued that the 14th amendment was being broke. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The ERA was proposed to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all citizens regardless of sex. It wanted to end the legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. There were 15 states that didn't want the ERA to be passed. Alice Paul was the first to introduce the Equal Rights Amendment to Congress in 1923. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
This case establishes that the university's use of racial "quotas" was unconstitutional. The ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court declared affirmative action constitutional but invalidated the use of racial quotas. The decision helped protect the rights by ending quotas but allowing race to protects rights by ending quotas but allowing race to be an admissions factor. -
Bowers v Hardwick
The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not protect the right of gay adults to engage in private sodomy. The ruling was overturned in court 17 years later in Lawernce v Texas. It was struck down a Texas state law that had criminalized homosexual sex between consenting adults. -
Americans with Disabilities
The ADA protects employees from discrimination based on disability. It prohibits employers from discriminating against employees or applicants with disabilities in all aspects of employment including hiring, pay, promotion, and firing. It was signed by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. -
Lawrence v Texas
The case was ruled by the Supreme Court 6-3 that Texas state law criminalizing certain intimate sexual conduct between consenting adults of the same sex was unconstitutional. Lawrence was won in the court case. -
Obergefell v Hodges
This case stated that bans on same-sex marriage and on recognizing same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. It breaks the equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 in Obergefell favor and was able to force all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
