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Dred Scott v. Sandford
A slave from Missouri known as Dred Scott, lived in the state of Illinois and in Louisiana which were free states. When Scott returned to Missouri he filed for his freedom since he was in free territory. After losing, he filed another suit and lost again with court stating, "a negro, whose ancestors were imported into [the U.S.], and sold as slaves,” no matter if they are enslaved or free, they are not considered U.S. Citizens in the sense of Article III of the Constitution. -
13th Amendment
In 1865, during the end of the Civil War, Lincoln ratified the 13th Amendment to Abolish Slavery. The Amendment States: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”. Shortly less than 4 months later, Lincoln was assassinated by a southerner, John Wilkes Booth. The Amendment wasn't ratified by necessary states until December 6, 1865. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was ratified to grant citizenship to all people that were born in the U.S. These people could even be formerly enslaved and still be considered a U.S. Citizen and be granted the secure protection under the United States laws. The Amendment was passed by the senate on June 8, 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868. -
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Jim Crow Era
During this time of history, known as the post Civil War Era or as others know it as the Jim Crow Era. This era was a set of laws to segregate blacks and whites in everything like bathrooms, buses, water fountains, restaurants, everything public. These laws denied equality and represented the discrimination that African Americans faced through these years until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment granted all African American men the right to vote and not be denied of the right due to discrimination of their race. This was monumental for the African American community as less than 100 years before they had been slaves and now in 1870, they are given the right to vote. The Amendment was passed by congress on February 26, 1869 and ratified on February 3, 1870. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In Louisiana when the Separate Car Act was enacted, Homer Plessy is 7/8 White but African American under Louisiana Law was solicited by the Committee of Citizens. The Committee was a group New Orleans Citizens who wanted to repeal the Act asked Homer to sit in a whites only car of one of the Louisiana train to go against the Act. Plessy was arrested for not cooperating when told to sit in the blacks only car. His lawyers argued that it violated 13th and 14th Amendments, but still lost the case. -
19th Amendment
This Amendment was included and adopted into the Constitution to not deny or discriminate any U.S. Citizen the right to vote based on their sex or gender. This Amendment was ratified on August 26, 1920 and approved by the senate. This most importantly was when Women were granted the right to Vote. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The case of Brown v. Board of Education was over the segregation in the education system. Schools that taught well and were good quality only accepted White students, while low income schools were meant only for Black students to limit life oppertunities. The case ended in a unanimous decision and stated that separate but equal educational facilities for racial minorities is inherently unequal, and violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
While Slavery was abolished and African American men were granted the right to vote, not everything was spotless and peaceful. Discrimination was still a big problem and led to segregation and Jim Crow laws. The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, and prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in public areas, however they did not grant the African American Community the right to vote. To make that promise complete of every race living as an American, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 8, 1965. This act prohibited any discrimination and allowed other races of men to excercise their voting right as an American. -
Affirmative Action
Positive Discrimination also known as Affirmative Action is when a government or organization include minorities based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality. Under represented areas like these are usually in eduacation and employment areas where having these Positive Discriminations shows diversity within their groups/ranks. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This Amendment was first proposed by the National Women's Political Party in 1923 to prohibit discrimination based on sex and grant true equality for women in the workforce, public areas, court, and protection. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in congress by 1972 and ratified by 35 of 38 states necessary to be apart of the Constitution. Due to not enough states ratification of this Amendment, it is not published into law. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
A 35 year old white man known as Allan Bakke applied for admission to the University of California Medical School. After being rejected, Bakke contended due to the school rejecting him based on his race in the California Courts, then in the Supreme Court. Court ruled that a university's use of racial quotas in its admissions process was unconstitutional, but a school's use of affirmative action to accept more minority applicants was constitutional in some circumstances. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
A Homosexual Man known as Michael Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer while engaging sexual intercourse with another man and was charged with violating a Georgia statute that criminalized sodomy. He challenged the statute's constitutionality in Federal District Court but failed to state a claim, after an appeal, court ruled that Georgia's statute was unconstitutional. it was left to the Supreme Court for its decicion, they ruled that states could outlaw sodomy practices. -
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
This Act was passed and signed to prohibit any discrimination towards anyone with a disability in public places, jobs, and livelihood. The ADA was a response to a widespread discrimination towards people with different disabilities like down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Asperger syndrome, and Autism. The Act was singed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. -
Motor Voter Act
The motor voter law was a bill passed by congress in 1963 to make it easier for americans to register to vote. The simple process of the registration made it to where voters could register when they sign up for driver's licenses and Social Security benefits. The Act was passed and signed by Bill Clinton in 1993. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Houston police arrestted both John Lawrence and Tyron Garner and convicted of deviate sexual intercourse in violation of a Texas statute forbidding two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct. Appeals lead to the State Court of Appeals ruling the statute was not unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause. Court held the Texas statute making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violating the Due Process Clause.
