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Period: to
1700s
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The Maryland colony passes a law restricting the rights of free blacks to vote.
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The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act, which includes a provision that colonists must be British subjects in order to have certain legal rights.
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The U.S. Constitution is written and includes the "Three-Fifths Compromise," which states that slaves will count as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation in Congress.
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Period: to
1800s
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In the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, the Supreme Court rules that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, are not citizens of the United States and therefore cannot sue in federal court.
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The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery.
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The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, granting citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and providing equal protection under the law.
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The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, granting voting rights to African American men.
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The Chinese Exclusion Act is passed, prohibiting Chinese immigration to the United States.
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In the Plessy v. Ferguson case, the Supreme Court upholds the "separate but equal" doctrine, allowing racial segregation in public facilities.
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Period: to
1900s
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The Jones-Shafroth Act grants U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans.
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The Indian Citizenship Act is passed, granting U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States.
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Executive Order 9066 is signed, leading to the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
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In the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
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The Civil Rights Act is passed, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
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The Voting Rights Act is passed, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.
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The Supreme Court rules in Loving v. Virginia that state laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional.