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Dred Scott vs. Stanford
Dred Scott was a free slave living in Illinois before he moved back to the slav state of Missouri. He appealed to the supreme court hoping he would be granted his freedom in Missouri. It was declared that blacks could not become a citizen because it was unconstitutional. -
13th Amendment
The Thrirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime. Although the thirteenth amendment formally abolished slavery, things such as the Black Codes and white supremist violence continued to subject black americans. -
14th Amendment
The fourteenth makes African Americans citzens of the united states and garuntees "equal protectionof the law." Although this is ignored for nearly a century. It came up again in the supreme court case Brown v Board of Education when segregation was deemed unconsitutional due to violation of the fourteeth amendment. -
15th Amendment
The fifteenth amendment prohibits the federal and state governments from being able to deny a citizen's right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." The amendment basically grants african americans the right to vote. However, it was not until poll taxes were outlawed in the 24th amendment that african americans were fully allowed to vote. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were used as a de facto condition required to vote in some states. After the fifteenth amendment was passed and gave african americans the right to vote, many southern states enacted poll taxes to keep the african americans from being able to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Even though Homer Plessy was seven-eighths white he was arrested for refusing to leave a railway car reserved for whites. Under the Louisana legislature this was consitutional and when brought to the supreme court it was ruled that "equal but seperate accomodations for white and colored races" was constitutional. -
19th amendment
The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote by. It prohibited any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. -
White Primaries
The White primary was one of the methods used to prevent African Americans from voting. It kept them from voting in southern primary elections when the population was heavily democratic. This made the able to vote when it mattered most. White Primaries were deemed unconsitutional in 1944 in Smith v Allwright. -
Brown v Board of Education
In Brown v Board of Education the Supreme Court ruled that the state laws that made seperate public schools based on race was unconstitutional. This overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and "seperate but equal" in schools. This case was a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and paved the way for public integration altogether. -
24th amendment
The Twenty-fourth amendment prohibited poll taxes in federal elections. This amendment allowed ever more African Americans to vote. It was just one of the barriers that was broken for African American voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1963 outlawed discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law. The act was justified under equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment and the government's duty to protect voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This law helped end barriers to Afican American suffrage. It prohibited the government from dening a person their right to vote due to race or color and stoped the use of literacy tests. After this law was passed the number of elected African American official increased significantly. -
Reed v Reed
In this case the supreme court ruled that gender based classification was in violation of the equal protection clause in the fourteenth amendment. This was the first time the supreme court ruled that gender discrimination was unjust. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke allowed race to be a considered factor in college admissions. This case was justified under affirmative action, policies that attempt to lift up minorities who were underrepresented in the past. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was originally introduced to Congress in 1923 but was not passed till 1972. This amendment stated that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of sex." This amendment had lots of public support but was unable to obtain three-fourths vote of the legislatures. -
Bowers v Hardwick
This case dealt with homosexuality, a man was caught with another man partaking in sodomy. The ruling was that people do not have a constitutional right to engage in homosexual sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability. The law basically applied the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to those with disibilites. The act also defined a disibility as "...a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is used to obtain diversity in a workplace or other group. This is achieved by special rules or recruitment that give preferential treatment to previously disadvantaged groups. This concept has been consitutionally challenged but not deemed unconstitutional. -
Lawernce v Texas
In Lawrence v Texas the Supreme Court got rid of the sodomy law in Texas and 13 other states. The Supreme Court ruled that what to consenting adults do in private should stay private from the government. -
Fishers v University of Texas
This case involves affirmative action and strict scrutiny. The United States District Court upheld the legality of the University's admission policy in a summary judgment in the ruling.
