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13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery and "involuntary servitude", punishment for a crime was/is the only exception. Slavery was originally protected by the Three-Fifths Compromise because it counted the slaves as people of the population. The first few years the Amendment was traveling around the country to be ratified it was rejected, mainly by the southern states. -
14th Amendment
This amendment states that all citizens of the U.S. have the right to life, liberty, and property. No state is allowed to take those rights away from a person without permission from the court. It also states that any 21 year old male has the right to vote. Along with the regulation that no current running Congress member can have a different congressional job. -
15th Amendment
After the American Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era this amendment was made becasue Congress didn't know what to do with the former black male slaves. The mendment states that no man shall be denied the right to vote no matter what "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Poll Taxes and Literacy Tests
The Literacy Test were devices used to test the intelligence of voters and were specifically made to fail the blacks so they were not able to vote and eclude illiterate immigrants. Poll taxes were the fees that had to be paid to vote. Mainly only the blacks or other moniorities had to pay it while the white men got away without paying much. -
Jim Crow
The laws that continued racial segregation after the Reconstruction period in the southern states. They mandated segregation in all public facilities in the south. This started in 1890 with the saying "separate but equal" that described the relationship between whites and blacks. This resulted in many economical, educational, and social disadvantages. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was arrested for "civil disobedience". being a mixed and free man, Plessy ordered railroad tickets for the "white only" section. The court favored the "separate but equal" saying and agreed to comtinue racial segregation. -
19th Amendment
This amendment protects the right to vote no matter what sex the person is. Most states did not allow women to vote. This amendment was one of the results of the women's sufferage movement. It was clear that the 14th amendment did not give women the right to vote so in 1878 Senator Sargent first introduced the 19th Amendment. It wasn't ratified until 41 years later. -
Korematsu v. United States
During World War II, all U.S. citizens of Japanese descent were sent to internment camps. Fred Korematsu fought the court saying that what they were doing was not constitutional. The Supreme Court voted 6-3 that it WAS constitutional. They said that it needed to happen to help prevent espionage. -
Sweatt v, Painter
Heman Marion Sweatt applied to School of Law of the University of Texas but was rejected because he was a "nergo". The Texas State Constitution prohibited education that was integrated. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court descided that separte schools of race was unconstitutional. It overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. It also said the separate education was not equal to all students. This was the first movement to "pave the way" for integration. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
First started with Rosa Parks when she was arrested from refusing to not move from her seat for a white person. The movement ended on December 20, 1956 when the Supreme Court declared that Alabama was to not be segregated. All the "Negros" refused to ride the buses at all times to prove their feelings toward the happenings. -
Affirmative Action
This policy favors people who are at a disadvantage or discriminated within a culture. It was made to give bettter opportunities to minorities in a society. This policy is supposed to help "compensate for past disrimination". Examples of the minorty are women, blacks, Native Americans, and others. -
24th Amendment
In the late 19th century, southern states passed laws that stated that all voters had to pay a "poll tax" if they wanted to vote. Many people used this to prevent African Americans and poor whites. This amendment allowed poll taxes to be bannded from the voting toll booth. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A piece of legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. There were powers given to protect the moniorities from discrimination but it started off weak. Congress made a promise to fully enforce the laws under the 14th and 15th amendment to help against descrimination. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
States that racial discrimination is prohibited in voting. One of the most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country. This act outlaws literacy tests and other devices used to stop miniorites from voting. Also forces there to be bilingual ballots to be provided for the language monorities. -
Robert Kennedy Speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
After Kennedy spoke to a couple of colleges throughout Indiana, he learned that Dr. King was shot. When he landed in Indianapolis for a campaign speech, he learned that Dr. King actually died. Instead of speaking for the campaign, he announced Dr. King's death and offered peaceful remarks towards King and his life. It has been considered one of the greatest "public addressed in the modern era." -
Reed v. Reed
A divoced couple was left with their son's land. There were arugments over which parent own the land. Idaho Code stated that "males must be preferred to females" when appointed estates. The husband ended up winning the land. The wife to the husband to court saying the the 14th amendment forbids for actions of discrimination against gender to happen. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The University saved a specific number of seats for the moniorities who applied for the school. This was to help with the previous discrimination. Allen P. Bakke applied to the university twice and was rejected both times mainly becasue of his age. The Supreme Court rejected the plan to reserve seats for minorities becasue then the whites would not be able to be accepted. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This was an idea for an amendment that was written by two women and introduced to Congree in 1923. A deadline of March 22 1979 was given for the Amendment to be signed. It ended up not recieveing the required 35 approvals by the deadline and was not ratified. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This was a case that dealt with private oral and anal sex between homosexuals. The problem was that the Constitution did not obviously state the "fundamental right to engage in homosexual sodomy." The court eventually overruled the Lawrenece v. Texas decision and said that any anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional -
Americans with Disabilities Act
It was a law that prohibited discrimination agaisnt people with disabilities. It was similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It required that employeers provide accomidations to the diablied employee; this included both physical and mental disabilities. -
Lawerence v. Texas
The case that made homosexual activity legal in all states and territories of U.S. The courrt overruled the decision made my the Bowers v. Hardwick where it was thought that the constitutional protection of sexual privacy. The court said that private sex lives where protected under the due process under the 14th Amendment. -
Fisher v. Texas
Fisher felt that the university was race-conscious with its addmissions, She said that this violates the Affirmative Action policies. The court supported the university's summary judgement and ruled in the school's favor. -
Gay Rights in Indiana
Sexual activity has been legal in Indiana since 1977. Just recently, after many years of fighting, marriage has been declared legal. Every year since 2004 Indiana residents fought for a definite definition of marriage. Later it was declared unconstitutional to say that marriage was only between one man and one woman.
