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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri. Scott later moved to Illinois, a free state and lived there from 1833 to 1843. Scott later went back to Missouri and filed a suit in court for his freedom. Scott claimed that his residence in free territory made him a free man in Missouri. He lost this case and took a new case to the federal court. Judges ruled that African Americans were not citizens of the US and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment of the constitution states: "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This amendment abolished slavery in the United States. The second section of this amendment says that Congress has the power to enforce this article by using appropriate legislation. -
14th amendment
The 14th amendment grants citizenship to all people born in the United States, gives each state representatives based on the state's population, and prohibits any person who had gone to war against the union from running for federal or state offices. This amendment also guaranteed equal protection to laws. The due process clause stated that states cannot deny a person from life, liberty, or due process of law. -
15th amendment
The 15th amendment guarantees protection against racial discrimination in voting and that the right to vote will not be denied due to race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This only allowed men to vote, which is why many women's rights advocates were against this amendment. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. This later resulted in more restrictive Jim Crow laws such as the split of bathrooms, restaurants, and other public places. It prevented constitutional challenges to racial segregation for more than half a century. -
19th amendment
The 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, and states that “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. This allowed and recognized women with the right to vote. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. The Court stripped away constitutional sanctions for segregation by race and made equal opportunity in education the law of the land. This was major in civil rights and made advances toward desegregating schools. -
Civil Rights act of 1964
In 1963, President John Kennedy asked Congress for a civil rights bill, Jonson later got the bill passed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This civil rights act banned discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. This act was known for strengthening the enforcement of voting rights and the advocation for the desegregation of schools. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act sought out to outlaw the discriminatory voting practices many southern states adopted after the Civil war. This was a very important piece of federal legislation seeing that it prohibited many racial discriminative acts in voting. -
Reed v. Reed
In 1971, the United States Supreme Court invalidated an Idaho law that required the selection of a man over a woman to serve as administrator of an estate when both were equally qualified. This decision marked the first time in history that the Court applied the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that took down a law that discriminated against women. -
Title IX
Title IX is a civil rights law that was passed by the federal government. It was also passed as a part of the education amendment. Title IX outlaws sex-based discrimination in schools or other education programs that receive money from the government. This was enacted by Congress and is signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1972. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In this case, the supreme court ruled in favor of Allan Bakke saying that racial quotas violated equal protection under the law in the 14th amendment. The court also ordered that Bakke be admitted to The University of California immediately. This helped define the boundaries of the equal protection clause and said that racial quotas were unconstitutional. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. This act was published on July 26th of 1990 and enacted by the United States Congress. It prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges is a landmark civil rights case where the Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the constitution. This was decided on June 26th, 2015 under President Obama's term.