-
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott sued for his freedom in Illinois because he lived in a free state. The court ruled that slaves were not citizens and could not sue. It also decided that Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery in the United States of America. -
14th Amendment
This amendment grants all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship. It also forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or "to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law." -
15th Amendment
Granted African-Americans and other minorities the right to vote by stating "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." -
Poll Taxes Begin
Taxes at polls for elections to prevent blacks from being able to vote. Grandfather clauses were enacted to protect the voting rights of poor white people. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This is a Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring the racial segregation in public facilities. Citing the "Seperate but Equal" doctrine. -
Nineteenth Amendment
This amendment gave all American women the right to vote. -
White Primaries begin in Texas
Texas passed a state law allowing political parties to make rules for their primaries. Because the political parties were private institutions, the Democratic party banned blacks from voting in their elections. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court case stating that states laws establishing seperate schools for black and white students is unconstitutional. This decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case. This was a unanimous decision. -
Affirmative Action
Is the policy of favoring members of a disadvantaged group who are perceived to suffer from discrimination within a culture. Was proposed by JFK. -
24th Amendment
This amendment ended the poll tax, allowing a higher percentage of black citizens to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This amendment outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This ended segregation in schools and other public places, mainly in the South. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This amendment prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It outlaws language tests and other similar techniques used to disenfranchise racial minorities. -
Reed v. Reed
This was an equal protection case where the U.S. Supreme Court decided that adminastrators of estates can not discriminate toward different sexes. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Student was denied a spot in a California Medical School because they had a quota for other ethnicities to be entered into their school. Although his gpa was superior, he was not admitted due to the quota. Upholding affirmitave action, but getting rid of the quota. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This was an amendment introduced to the Constitution to provide equal rights to women. This was introduced to Congress for the first time in 1923. In 1972 it passed both houses and received 35 of the necessary 38 ratifications from the states, 5 states later rescinded their ratifications. The amendment later died in the ratification stage. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This was a Supreme Court decision that upheld, in a 5-4 decision, the Georgia state law criminalizing oral and anal sex. This was later overturned in 2003. -
Americans with Disability Act
This is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination towards people with disabilities. It also requires employers to accomodate for their handicapped employees. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This was a Supreme Court case that struck down the sodomy laws in the state of Texas, and by default, 13 other states. Claiming that it was in their 14th amendment rights.
