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13th Amendment
"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 formally abolished slavery. -
14th Amendment
This amendment was part of the Reconstruction Amendments and addressed equal protection under the law and citizenships (in regards to former slaves) -
15th Amendment
"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
This amendment granted African American males the right to vote but states were still able to go around this amendment by establishing literacy tests and poll taxes to exclude African American men. -
Jim Crow Laws
Laws that inhibited racial segregation during the Reconstruction Period in the Southern US. Jim Crow laws mandated the segregation of public schools, public buildings, public transportation, restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
In his case, Homer Adolph Plessy vs. The State of Louisiana, Plessy's lawyers argued that the state law which required East LA Railroad to segregate trains had denied him his rights under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments of the US Constitution which provided for equal. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities ("seperate but equal"). "Seperate but equal" remained in US law until 1954 with Brown vs. Board of Education. -
Poll Taxes
In order to combat the 14th amendment, many states created poll taxes to stop African Americans and poor white men from voting in elections. The poll taxes were a part of legislation known as "Jim Crow" laws which discriminated against African Americans. In 1962, the 24th amendment was passed which finally created an end to the poll taxes. -
Literact Tests
In protest of the 14th amendment, state governments would administer tests to prospective voters in order to test his or her ability to read and qualify them to vote. These tests were intended to force African Americans to not be able to vote, but it also forced poor white men to lose the freedom as well. -
19th Amendment
Guaruntees all women the right to vote. This amendment was the product of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. Many women were upset when all men (including those of color) were given the right to vote prior to white women being given the right. The amendment took 41 years to pass after firt having been proposed. -
The Equal Rights Amendment
Following the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, Alice Paul (suffragist leader) said that the right to vote would not end discrimination based upon sex. The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment designed to give equal rights to women. The amendment never passed but the following year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed which panned workplace discrimination based on sex (as well as race, religion, and national origin). -
Korematsu Vs. UnitedStates
Franklin Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066 which stated that all American citizens of Japanese ancestery were to be moved in held in certain areas and possibly even in internment camps. Korematsu refused to move from his home in San Leandro, and took hiscase to the Supreme Court, where they sided with the Executive order 6-3. -
Sweatt vs Painter
US Supreme Court case that successfully challenged the "seperate but equal" doctrine that was established in the Plessy vs Ferguson. This occured after Sweatt was refused admission to a college on the grounds that the Texas State Constitution prohibited integrated education. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Supreme Court case in which the Court declared laws establishing seperate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. This decision overturned the Plessy vs Ferguson. The unanimous decision stated that "seperate educational facilities are inherently unequal" -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. This was the protest where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and was arrested. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is known as the policy of favoring members of a disadvantaged group who are likely to suffer from discriminaion. This action varies from region to region, but usually include items such as education and employment by granting special consideration to minorities and women; two groups by which have been discriminated against in history. This action is aimed to help obtain more equality in these such areas. -
24th Amendment
"The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, [...] shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax." The 24th Amendment prohibited states from requiring a poll tax in federal elections. The poll taxes were used to stop low-income (mainly African American men) from voting in federal elecions. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination by race, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by public facilities. The act was signed by Lyndon B Johnson. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prohibited racial discrimination in voting. It was signed by President Lyndon B Johnson and eventually amended 5 times to add more protections. It was designed to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution, -
Robert Kennedy Speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
Kennedy was the first to infrom the public of MLK's death. "What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice towards those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black." Kennedy was able to calm the crowd down and prevent a riot. -
Reed v. Reed
Divorsed parents sought after their former adopted sons estate after his death. Due to the Idaho Probate Code, males were preferred to femalesin deciding administrators of estates, so Cecil was appointed administrater. Sally challenged the law in court. The Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision stating that the code's preference in favor of males was arbitrary and unconstituional. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Allan Bakke applied to the University fo California Medical School at Davis where he was denied both time. His GPA and tes scores were much haigher than the minority students who were reserved 16 places in each upcoming class of one hundred minorites. Bakke's too his case to the Supreme Court saying that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where the case was dismissed due diversity. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was observed in engaging in consensual homosexual sodomy with another man by a Georgia police officer, and was charged with violating Georgia's law that criminalized sodomy. Hardwich challenged this law stating it was unconstitutionaly in Federal District Court. Becuase Hardwich failed to state a claim, the court dismessed the case. Later, the case was reveresed saying that the law was unconsititutional. -
American with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that prohibited discrimination based on disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act required employers to provide reasonable accomodations to emloyees with disabilities. The disabilities include both mental and physical conditions. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Police went to Lawrence's apartment for a reported weapons disturbance when they found him and Garner engaged in a same-sex sexual act. They charged them both under the "deviate sexual intercourse" law of Texas, where Lawrence said was a violations of the Equal Protectiona and Due ProcessClasuses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court affirmed with their convictions and the men were ordered to pay for their wrongdoings. -
Fisher v. Texas
Abigail Fisher, a white female, applied to theUniversity of Texas and was denied. She sued against the school saying that their consideration of admission based on race was a violation of the Fourteenth Ammendment equal protection cause. The court decided in favor of the University, saying that the use of race consideration tailored means of obtaining greater diversity. -
Indiana's Gay Rights Battle
Same sex marriage became legal in Indiana in 2014 after a constant battle for an ammendment to be made that constituted marriage to be between a man and a woman has continued to fail since 2004. This ammendment passed both houses in the legislature in 2005 and in 2011. As of 2014, District Court Judge Young declared Indiana's DOMA to be unconstitutional, and same-sex marriages officially became legal.
