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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in the state of Missouri. He resided as a free man in Illinois for 10 years. He then returned to MO and filed a suit claiming that since he was a free man in a free territory he was also a free man in MO. The court ruled that moving to a free state did not render Scott emancipated. Also the SCOTUS ruled that slaves were property and that it was unconstitutional to deprive a slave owner of their property. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the US, except for as a punishment for a crime. This was the turning point after the Civil war that began the journey to equality for slaves in America. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment addresses many aspects of citizenship within the US. This amendment uses the phrase "equal protection of the laws" which gave protection to all people regardless of race. The amendment granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US, this now made former slaves US citizens. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment declared that citizens of the US have the right to vote and shall not be denied due to race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This is important because it allowed all former slaves to vote, but not women. However, after this amendment there came more issues as people tried to deny African Americans the right to vote by poll taxes or literacy tests. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This was a huge case held by the Supreme Court that stated the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public places as long as they are "separate but equal". This phrase became known since making things separate automatically makes them not equal. This began some of the anger that would later fuel the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment, allowed women to vote in all elections in the US. Many states in the west already allowed women to vote but this was the official statute that made it illegal for a citizen to be denied the right to vote based on the account of sex. Voting was not a right to all citizens over the age of 18. -
White Primaries
In 1944 Smith v. Allwright was a SCOTUS decision that ruled white primaries were unconstitutional. White primaries were primaries that only allowed white people to vote and did not allow African Americans the right. White primaries were a practice similar to poll taxes, as they both tried to prohibit African Americans from exercising their right to vote. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In this SCOTUS case, the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This was a cornerstone case of the civil rights movement. This case helped to establish that the phrase "separate but equal" was not in fact equal at all. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment made poll taxes or any other tax illegal, that made it so people could not vote if they could not pay the tax. This made sure all citizens had equal rights to vote and were not discriminated against due to socioeconomic status or race. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of color, sex, race, religion, or nation of origin. It is one of the pivotal movements during the civil rights era that allowed African Americans to begin to become equals within society. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes had been in place since the 1890s as a legal way to keep African Americans from voting in the southern states. These taxes were essentially a fee to vote and since many African Americans had low paying jobs and struggled financially this tax essentially forbid them from voting at all. Poll taxes were abolished with the 24th amendment. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act stopped states from not allowing African Americans to vote. Voting is a right guaranteed to all men under the 15th amendment and should be allowed without any issues. This act was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson and aimed to overcome the legal barriers that prevented African Americans from being equal in the political system. -
Reed v. Reed
This SCOTUS case ruled, that the administrator of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes. A divorced couple was arguing over the estate of their deceased son. An Idaho code specified that males must be preferred over females when appointing administrators of an estate. This is not allowed based on the 14th amendment which forbids discrimination on the basis of gender. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The equal rights amendment is an amendment that would guarantee gender equality for men and women The amendment wanted to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, and employment etc. The amendment was controversial even to women and many conservative women said the amendment would disadvantage house wives and cause them to lose necessary protections. The amendment was never ratified. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke applied twice for admission to the University of California medical school and he was rejected both times. The school reserved 16 spots for minorities as a part of an affirmative action program. Bakke stated he was excluded from admission solely on the basis of race. The SCOTUS ruled that any racial quota system violated the Civil Rights Act but, also ruled that the use of race as a criteria was permissible. This case extended gains for racial minorities through affirmative action -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was found engaging in the act of consensual homosexual sodomy with another adult in the bedroom of his home. He was charged with a Georgia statute that criminalized sodomy. The SCOTUS ruled that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy and that states could outlaw those practices. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act is a law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life such as schools, jobs, transportation, and all public or private places open to the general public. The purpose of the law was to ensure that all people regardless of ability were guaranteed the same rights as able bodied people. This law is similar to those that protect people based on race, color, sex, religion, or nation of origin. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is the practice of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously. This was addressed in the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Affirmative Action in higher education provides equal access for those groups that have been historically excluded or underrepresented. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This court case overturned the ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick. This case found that the Texas statute that made it a crime for two people of the same sex to engage in intimate sexual conduct, illegal. This statute violates the due process clause of the Constitution. Lawrence and Garner were free adults and were allowed the free exercise of their liberty in a private manner under the due process clause.
