-
The Dred Scott decision says that no African American could ever become U.S. citizens.
Dred Scott, a slave, went on trial to sue for his freedom beginning in 1847. Ten years later, his case made its way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court justices were biased, leaning on the side of slavery. The outcome was not surprising. The Supreme Court ruled that no African American could ever become a citizen of the U.S., no matter if they were free or a slave. Therefore, Dred Scott could not sue in the federal court. Scott was denied his freedom and remained a slave. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is established.
President Andrew Johnson vetoed this bill, but Congress overrode him. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 states “all persons born in the United States,” excluding Native Americans, “hereby declared to be citizens of the United States.” The bill also defines the rights of American citizens, which was an attempt to overrule Black Codes. Some activists for civil rights believed a constitutional amendment was needed, fearing the bill might not be permanent. -
Congress passes the 14th Amendment.
Over seventy proposals were drafted for the 14th Amendment. In 1865, the Joint Committee on Reconstruction proposed an amendment that passed the House, but not the Senate. Another amendment was proposed, but failed to pass the House. Finally, a third amendment was proposed that combined elements of the previous two proposed amendments, which finally succeeded. On June 13, 1866, Congress finally passed the 14th Amendment. . -
Tennessee is the first Confederate state to pass the 14th Amendment.
Many white Tennesseans were divided on the issues of the 14th Amendment. The Tennessee legislators were called to vote on the 14th Amendment, but some decided they were not going to show up when it came voting time. Governor Brownlow heard about these plans and captured two of the men and imprisoned them in the state capitol building. The Tennessee legislature voted in favor of passing the 14th amendment. Because of this, Tennessee became the first Confederate state to re-enter the Union. -
The Reconstruction Acts are passed.
With the Confederate states refusing to pass the 14th Amendment, Congress came up with a plan that was meant re-unite the Union, called the Reconstruction Acts; they accomplished this by only allowing the Confederate states to re-enter the Union if they ratified the 14th Amendment. The Reconstruction Acts divided the south into five military districts, and made each state draft a new constitution that had to be approved by Congress. -
The 14th Amendment is added to the Constitution.
With ratification from three-fourths of the states, it can now be added to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment guarantees African-Americans and all others born in the U.S. their citizenship and equal protection under the law. It did this by defining citizenship and the rights of citizens. It was the second of the three Reconstruction amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th amendments), which were designed to establish equality for African-Americans. -
United States vs. Wong Kim Ark says that people born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens.
Wong Kim Ark was born in California and was a son of Chinese immigrants. His parents moved back to China, so Wong visited them twice. The second time he visited them, Wong was denied re-entry. They said that Wong was not a citizen of the U.S. because he was a Chinese citizen by blood. The Supreme Court did not agree and came to the conclusion that children who are born in the U.S., even if their parents are foreign, are still considered U.S. citizens. -
Brown vs. Board of Education rules out “separate but equal.”
One of the most influential Supreme court cases of the 20th century was Brown vs. Board of Education. Oliver Brown’s child was denied access to one of the white schools in Topeka. Brown said that black and white schools were not equal and never will be. His case made its way to the Supreme Court, where the court ruled that racial segregation in schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. They also ruled that “separate but equal” facilities violated the constitution. -
Kentucky ratifies the 14th Amendment.
Many Confederate states felt it was unfair that they were forced to ratify the 14th Amendment, as well as other states that weren’t part of the Confederacy. Kentucky felt this way. Their governor at the time, Thomas Bramlette, opposed the amendment. He thought that the treatment of the Confederate states post-civil war was unfair. This led him to believe that the amendment process was corrupted. It took Kentucky over a hundred years to finally ratify the 14th Amendment. -
Ohio finally ratifies the 14th Amendment.
Members of the Union Party in Ohio supported the 14th Amendment, while the Peace Democrats (aka copperheads), disagreed with parts of it. Ohio ratified this amendment on January 4, 1867. When it came time for elections again, the Union Party lost control and the Democrats had the power. The new legislature decided to vote to reverse the decision of the 14th Amendment. On September 17, 2003, Ohio approved the 14th Amendment for a second time, making it the last state to ratify the 14th Amendment.
