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Constitutional Issues and Laws
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13,14,15 Amendments (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
13th (1865), 14th (1868), 15th(1870)
After the 13th amendment, slavery is no more allowed in any states or territories of the US government.
14th Amendment promised that all people born/naturalized in the US are subject to its law and cannot be denied any of the rights and privileges in the Constitution.
15th amendment stated that citizens of the US cannot be denied their right to vote because of their race/color/former slavery. -
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Events
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Tuskegee Institute created (Events)
Found by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama, this school focused on teaching and training young black students in agriculture and trading. Washington argued that black's economic prosperity/power is the first key to gradually improve black's social status. -
Plessy v Ferguson (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
In 1893, Homer Plessy, 1/8 black, was arrested under Louisiana's law for taking a seat in a "whites only" car and refusing to move to a "colored" railway car.
the Supreme Court ruled that the "separate but equal" Louisiana law was constitutional, and this case established the principle of segregation.
but the case was overturned in 1954. -
NAACP created (Events)
The NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight prejudice, lynching, and Jim Crow segregation, and to work for the betterment of "people of color."
its goal was to abolish segregation/discrimination and bring social and political rights for African memebrs. -
19th Amendment (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
The 19th amendment guaranteed women their suffrage(right to vote).
It directly stated, "The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any State on account of sex."
Its major supporters were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, National woman's suffrage Association (NWSA), and National woman's Party (NWP) -
Executive Order 9981 (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
Executive Order 9981 stated that "there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." The order established an advisory committee to examine the rules/practices/procedures of the armed services and recommend ways to make desegregation a reality. There was some resistance to the order, but by the end of the Korean War, most military services integrated. -
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People/Group
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Brown v Board of Education (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
Supreme Court overturned the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision (1896). Led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Court ruled that "separate but equal" schools for blacks were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. (both colored and white schools were supposed to be equal although segregated; however, since the colored school couldn't afford the same of the whites, "separate but equal" was broken.) -
Emmett Till's Death (Events)
Young Black Chicago boy Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered by the White Roy Bryant and JW Milam in Mississippi's town Money for whistling at Carolyn Bryant, the wife of Roy Bryant. But the murderers were found not guilty because of supports of the white community and white-only juries and the hardship of finding witnesses(blacks were threatened their life by the whites).
the court's rule enraged the black community, and the case became the initial catalyst of the civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott (Events)
In 1955, a Black woman Rosa Park was arrested for refusing to give up her seat in a full city bus to a white person. This arrest made Dr. MLK lead a city bus boycott of blacks, who were 70% of the bus users. After a year of boycott effort, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public transportation is illegal, and the indirect nonviolence protest was ended. -
Little Rock 9 (People/Groups)
The Little Rock Nine was the first group of black students to integrate into Little a Rock High School. Because so many white protestors aggressively surrounded and verbally attacked the students and Governor Faubus sent the state guard to block their attendance, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort LR9 into the school. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957 (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
Eisenhower and Congress authorized the prosecution of those who violated the right to vote of US citizens. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 took the issue one step further and authorized federal law enforcement to make sure that citizens of all people groups, in all states, were allowed to vote. Thus, it became easier to vote for black voters. -
Greensboro NC Sit-ins (Events)
4 black students attempted to desegregate a lunch counter in Woolworth's store and continued their sit-ins for several days. about 300 students joined the sit-ins, and their effort led to the desegregation of the store in May. more and more blacks and whites joined protests against segregation, and 810 towns in southern states desegregated public places by the end of 1961. This movement led to the creation of SNCC and showed the huge willingness of young blacks for improvement of their rights. -
Freedom riders (People/Groups)
The bus of 13 Activists (7 blacks/6 whites) on a bus journey across the south was under attack (beating and firebombing) by a huge amount of violent white protestors. After this incident, by Sep 1961, all signs of enforcing segregation had been removed from interstate transportation by federal enforcement. -
March on Washington – “I have a Dream Speech” (Events)
In Washinton D.C., in front of the Lincoln Memorial, an estimated 250,000 people gathered for marching to show their support for civil rights and anti-racial discrimination. Dr, MLK highlighted the march by delivering the famous speech "I have a dream" that stressed the importance of nonviolent resistance. This successful march pressured JFK to pass a strong federal civil right and Congress to provide fair working opportunities for Blacks. -
24th Amendment (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
After the 24th amendment was ratified, the Poll tax, which prevented poor blacks from voting like literacy test, was removed from the voting requirements from any elections. This amendment increased the participation of not only blacks but also other poor minorities in the elections in the US. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
This Act made racial/religious/sex discrimination by employers illegal and gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.
With this Act, all minorities(especially blacks) could afford their equality in public spaces and workplaces. -
March from Selma Alabama (Events)
Led by MLK, tens of thousands of black protestors marched in Selma, Alabama to call for their suffrage outside of the city but ignored. In the continued march to the governor's mansion, the police restrained the protestors with tear gas and clubs. This shocking day was widely publicized as "Bloody Sunday" due to many injuries(many incurables). -
Voting Right Act of 1965 (Constitutional Issues and Laws)
This Act banned any literacy test or other devices used to intently disfranchise black voters. Followingly, the political participation of blacks in eased voting increased. As blacks elected black representatives, the black politicians could work on improving black society, which also led to greater social equality and narrowed the wealth/education gap. -
Black Panthers (People/Groups)
Black Pathers was founded in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. the party was the self-defense and violence against white people. the party kept its eyes on the police and reviewed any black arrests to check no unlawful arrests made. it also distributed foods for poor blacks in need and educated them on literacy and numeracy. However, under the teaching of Malcolm X, they were a militant group who were very determined to fight back with armed force when needed. -
MLK assassinated (Events)
at 6 pm, Dr. MLK was shot while standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. After the long investigation, the FBI arrested James Earl Ray for assassinating Dr. King. His death provoked many violent riots in more than 120 cities, and it was the loss of faith in nonviolent change.
