Freedom Movement in the Courts

Plessy v. Ferguson

May 18, 1896

Issue: the seperate car act on the trains violated 13th and 14th Amendment Court's Decision: Act was unconsituitional

State of Missouri ex rel Gaines v. Canade

Dec 12, 1938

Issue: Equal protection should allow blacks to attend school Court's Decision: Provide legal training to every qualified person to satisfy equal protection

Smith v. Allwright

Apr 3, 1944

Issue: Smith argued the state denied his right to vote Court's Decision: Restricted primary took away his right to vote

Sipuel v. Board of Regents

Jan 12, 1948

Issue: Race being a factor when trying to enter college Court's Decision: Required equality between both race to be admitted

Shelley v. Kramer

May 3, 1948

Issue: Does the action of state court in enforcing the restrictive convenant deprive the rights guranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment Court's Decision: Ruled that racially based restrictive convenants are invalid under the Fourteenth Amendment

Sweatt v. Painter

Jun 5, 1950

Issue: DId Texas violated the equal right clause, which refused admission to the school of law Court's Decision: Affirmed

Briggs v. Elliott

Jan 28, 1952

Issue: Unequal and segregated schools for black children Court's Decision: oringinally infavor

Brown II

Dec 18, 1952

Issue: Brown declared racial discrimination in publice education unconstitutional Court's Decision: 9 votes for Brown 0 votes against. equal protection

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

May 17, 1954

Issue: Supreme Court case in which the court declared state laws to establish seperate public schools for black and whites Court's Decision: Decision was overturned

Gayle v Browder

Dec 17, 1956

Issue: segregation on Alabama busses unconstitutional Court's Decision: in Gayles favor

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Sep 9, 1957

Established civil rights division in the Justice department, blacks right to vote

Executive Order 11063

Nov 20, 1962

Equal opportunity in housing

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, etc

Voting Rightd Act of 1965

Aug 6, 1965

concerted efforts to break the grip of state disfranchisement had been under way for sometime