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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott a slave who was trying to sue his master in order to get his freedom. However the outcome of this case was that, if you are from African descent, then you are not an American citizen and therefore do not have the right to sue in any court. Also, the Supreme Court said that the federal government has no power to regulate slavery in federal territories. Federal territories are any territories that were acquired after the United States. -
13th Amendment Ratified
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude unless it was punishment for a crime. -
14th Amendment Ratified
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States". This was the time after the civil war, which means that all newly freed slaves have citizenship. That did not stop southern states from discriminating though. But under the 14th Amendment, no state can deny any persons, "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” -
15th Amendment Ratified
Prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen's right to vote depending on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This was mostly done to help African Americans, as they were the only other racial demographic present in the US at the time. However, this amendment encompasses all races, preventing racism and other forms of prejudice from effecting the right to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case was a decision upholding the constitutionality of state laws enforcing racial segregation in public facilities under the concept "separate but equal." Suprisingly, the vote was nearly unanimous, showing that the Supreme Court was not against public segregation at the time. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were a series of fees and requirements designed by state legislatures to prevent black individuals from voting in elections, allowing the white population to maintain control of the government. Examples included high prices that the lower-class black families could not pay and other taxes created to prevent blacks from having any say in government. -
White Primaries
White primaries were a series of countermeasures used by the state of Texas to further prevent the black population from voting. The primaries were essentially private elections where only white people were allowed to vote; eventually the practice was banned on the basis that these primaries violated the constitution by allowing parties to establish discriminatory rules. -
19th Amendment Ratified
The 19th Amendment prohibits any US citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a landmark case that removed segregation in public education. The decision was unanimous, with the court stating that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This ruling in particular provided the means for a great deal of further integration measures to be created, and was also a great victory for civil rights advocates. -
24th Amendment Ratified
Before the 24th Amendment was ratified, people had to pay a fee in order to vote. That led to many people who did not have enough money to vote, to basically not vote. Many southern states used poll taxes to prevent African Americans from voting. Because at the time when the 15th Amendment was ratified many new citizens were former slaves, and did not have very much money. But now the 24th Amendment makes it so that everyone has the right to vote, and it does not cost a cent. -
Cvil Rights Act of 1964 Is Passed
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a piece of legislation banning discrimination of any kind, be it based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Since banning racism entirely is impossible, this act was designed to ban discrimination in public facilities such as schools and workplaces. This also removed the "separate but equal" allowances in public facilities as well. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
At its core, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 bans all racial discrimination during the voting process. This means that state and federal governments cannot prevent you from voting based on you race. This came about because many southern states told African Americans they could not vote, and many south west states told Latinos they could not vote as well. This led to wide protest throughout the United States. All the protesting paid off. -
Affirmative Action Signed Into Law
Affirmative Action refers to a series of equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors are legally required to adopt, preventing discrimination on the basis of color, religion, sex, or national origin. However, these measures do not protect all religious practices, as the usage of drugs in the workplace is still prohibited. -
Reed v. Reed
This case involved the constitutionality of an Idaho state law that specified that "males must be preferred to females" when appointing estate administrators, a law that came under scrutiny when Sally and Cecil Reed were in conflict over who should be designated administrator of the estate of the separated couple's late son. The court ruled in favor of Sally Reed, holding that the law unconstitutionally discriminated against gender. -
Regents of The University of California v. Bakke
This was a case that upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of the factors in the college admission process. However, in this particular case the court ruled that holding specific quotas for admission was unconstitutional. -
Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Fails
The ERA was a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would have guaranteed equal rights for women. Unfortunately, the amendment failed to pass, falling 3 states short of the 38 state requirement. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case upheld the constitutionality of a sodomy law in Georgia making oral and anal sex a crime when applied to homosexuals. This holding barely passed with a five to four ruling in the Supreme Court, arguing that the Constitution does not confer "a constitutional right to engage in homosexual sodomy." -
Americans With Disabilities Act
This law was put into place un response to all of the laws that had been created for the purpose of banning discrimination. Naturally, this particular act prevents the discrimination on the basis of disability and establishes clear and comprehensive rules for the desired purpose. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This law struck down sodomy laws in 14 states, essentially banning laws to prevent same-sex sexual activity in the entirety of the US, overturning the decision made in Bowers v. Hardwick. The holding passed with a large majority of six to three, stating that in the case of Bowers the liberty interest had been viewed too narrowly.
