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13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued nearly a year before, only freed the slaves in areas outside of Union control. The 13th amendement, however, prohibited the institution of slavery everywhere in America. Before the abolition of slavery, slaves were prohibited from owning property or receiving an education. After being freed, they were without education or political representation, so it was difficult to gain social status. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first United States federal law to affirm that all citizens were equally protected by the law. In April 1866 Congress passed the bill for a second time. Although President Andrew Johnson again vetoed it, a two-thirds majority in each house overcame the veto and the bill therefore became a law. However, the activities of groups such as the Ku Klux Klan undermined the act; and it failed to immediately secure the civil rights of African Americans. -
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was one of the earliest and most influential civil rights organization in the United States. The NAACP's goal was to make whites aware of the need for racial equality. To do this, the organization launched a program of speechmaking, lobbying, and publicizing the issue. The NAACP attacked segregation and racial inequality through the courts as well. -
Guinn v. United States Case
When Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, it had adopted a constitution which allowed men of all races to vote. However, legislators soon required voters prove that their grandfathers had been voters or had served as soldiers before 1866. Oklahoma's amendment followed those of numerous Southern states that had similar grandfather clauses in their constitutions. The NAACP won the Supreme Court decision against the grandfather clause. -
Operation Overlord
The D-Day operation brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in history. The operation, given the codename Overlord, launched a successful invasion on beaches of Normandy, France and was commanded by the future President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Operation Overlord was the beginning of the end of Nazism. It's purpose was to bring about the fall of the Nazi regime and to free the people of Europe under Nazi control. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction that the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. It protected voting rights and empowered federal officials to prosecute individuals that denied another citizen's right to vote. It signaled a growing federal commitment to the cause of civil rights.
