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Dred Scott v Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri who lived in Illinois which was a free state and in the Louisiana territory were slavery wasn’t allowed. He filed a suit in Missouri saying since he lived in free territory he is a free man. After losing he filed a new suit and the question was, was Dred Scott a free man or a slave? They decided Americans that are of African descent are not free and cannot sue. Also since slaves were “property” slaveowners were protected by the fifth amendment. -
13th amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery, and involuntary servitude unless used as punishment for a crime. President Lincoln played a major role in getting it passed. He talked to representatives individually and try to change border state unionist opinion on it. The house of representatives eventually passed the amendment with just over the 2/3 majority vote. -
14th amendment
The 14th amendment says every person born or naturalized in America is an American citizen. It was created to limit states power and protect civil rights because some states started passing laws restricting the rights of former slaves. It also states that citizenship cannot be taken away unless it’s given up or the person commits perjury. -
15th amendment
The 15th amendment gave African-American men the right to vote. Even though it was passed people created tactics to prevent black citizens from voting. This changed eventually with the voting rights act of 1965. -
Plessy v Ferguson
There were separate railway cars for black and white people in Louisiana because of the separate car act. Homer Plessy was 7/8 Caucasian and technically black so he wasn’t allowed on the whites only train car. He teamed up with some people to challenge the act by sitting in a white only train car. He was asked to move but he was arrested for refusing. Plessys lawyer said the separate train cars violated the 14th amendment but the court said it didn’t because it was “separate but equal”. -
19th amendment
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. Protests had been going on for almost a century and they finally paid off. Not for women of color though. There were still restrictions that kept them from voting. It took much longer for all women to have equal voting rights. -
Brown V Board of Education
There were several cases about segregation in public schools. African-American students weren’t allowed to attend certain schools because by law the schools could segregate by race. Brown argued the segregation violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. The court was unanimous in their decision saying “separate but equal” facilities violated the 14th amendment. -
civil rights act of 1964
The civil rights act of 1964 banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The idea originated with John F Kennedy but before it was moved to Congress he was assassinated. The new President Lyndon B Johnson took it through to the end. -
voting rights act of 1965
After the passing of the 15th amendment people created ways of preventing black citizens from voting. The voting rights act of 1965 was created so there was nothing in the way of anyone being able to vote. It was debated for more than a month but once passed it was signed into law by Johnson. -
reed v reed
Sally and Cecil‘s son died but they both wanted to be administrator of their sons estate. The Idaho probate code said “males must be preferred to females” so Cecil was appointed administrator. Sally changed the law by arguing the Ohio probate code violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. -
Title IX
Title IX doesn’t allow sex discrimination in any educational program that gets federal funding. It was once a way to stop sexual violence and harassment because schools legally had to respond to hostile environments. In 2020 the new Title IX went into affect which makes schools able to get away with sexual harassment. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
Allan Bakke applied to the University of California medical school twice but got rejected both times. The school reserved 16 places in each class for minorities but Bakkes qualifications were much better compared to the minority students both times he applied. Bakke argued his 14th amendment was violated because he was rejected based on race. The court ruled a schools use of “affirmative action” to get more minorities to the school was constitutional but only in some cases. -
Americans with disabilities act
The Americans with disability act prohibits discrimination based on disabilities. It also requires employers to provide accommodations for employees and accessibility requirements on public accommodations. This includes mental and physical medical conditions. -
Obergefell v Hodges
Multiple same-sex couples sued their state agencies because of their bands on same-sex marriage. In all the cases it was argued that the equal protection clause and due process clause of the 14th amendment was violated. The ultimate decision was that the couples 14th amendment rights were not violated.