-
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott, a slave from Missouri, lived in Illinois, a free state, from 1833 - 1843 and in the Louisiana Territory, a free territory. After returning to Missouri, Scott argued that since he had lived in free territories, he was a free man. His master argued that no black men or descendants of slaves could be a citizen of the United States. On March 6th, 1857, the supreme court decided that a black man or a man who had slave ancestors could not be a citizen of the US, regardless of freedom. -
13th Amendment
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." The 13th amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery in the US and all of its territories. -
14th Amendment
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were taxes placed on voting that restricted many African Americans from voting. Poll taxes were just one of many obstacles adopted to keep African Americans from voting during the reconstruction era. Eventually, the 24th amendment prohibited Congress and the states from placing taxes on voting in federal elections. -
White Primaries
White primaries were primary elections held in the southern states where only white voters were allowed to participate in voting -
15th Amendment
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Gave African American men and former slaves the right to vote -
Plessy v Ferguson
A Supreme Court case where the Supreme Court ruled that segregation laws didn't violate the Constitution as long as the accommodations were equal in quality. In result, racial segregation across the United States was strengthened and the "separate but equal" doctrine was adopted. -
19th amendment
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote -
Brown v Board of Education
A supreme court case in which the supreme court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, even if all other accommodations were equal in quality. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A civil rights and labor law that makes discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin illegal. It addressed discrimination in voting rights, employment, public accommodations, and education. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Made discriminatory voting practices adopted by many southern states after the Civil War, such as literacy tests, illegal. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting -
Reed v Reed
A Supreme Court case where the Supreme Court ruled that the administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminated between sexes. The case recognized sex discrimination as a violation of the constitution. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The equal rights amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States where equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of gender. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
When Allan Bakke was rejected twice from the Medical School at the University of California, he took it to the supreme court, arguing that his scores and qualifications for acceptance into the school were more than the minorities being accepted by the affirmative action taken by the college. Bakke argued that his rejection was in violation of the Equal protection clause and the civil rights act of 1964. The supreme court upheld affirmative action, which made race a factor in College admissions. -
Bowers v Hardwick
A supreme court case that argued there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy. This validated many of the laws states had made to make this act illegal. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990 and prohibits discrimination against American citizens with disabilities. This includes discrimination in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to local and state government services and programs. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Actions relates to a set of policies in the government or organization seeking to include particular groups of people based on gender, race, sexuality, creed, or nationality. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act made regulations that included voter registration forms to be sent in the mail to allow those who had not been able to register have the right to vote. -
Lawrence v Texas
A supreme court case that overruled the decision of Bowers v Hardwick. Lawrence v Texas ruled that sanctions of criminal punishment for those who commit sodomy are unconstitutional. -
Obergefell v Hodges
A supreme court case that decided that the fourteenth amendment requires all states to grant same sex marriages and recognize same sex marriages granted in other states.
