Civil Rights

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Mar 6, 1857

A slave at the time, Dred Scott, moved around to many states with his owners. One of the states he temporarily lived in was Missouri. Missouri has two statutes that said slaves do not exist in Missouri and slaves can sue for being enslaved. Scott decided to sue his owners because the statutes said he could do so and he wanted to be free. The case went to the supreme court but, it was decided that "property" could not sue a federal court. The case paved the way for future cases like Scott's case.

13th Amendment

Jan 31, 1865

The 13th Amendment was passed as a way to abolish slavery. It stated, "abolish slavery and involuntary servitude". It was successful and it was a major Admentment that changed the United States forever.

14th Amendment

Jul 9, 1868

The 14th Amendment was added to protect all citizens of the United States. It stated that every natural-born United States citizen was a citizen, including once enslaved people. It also made sure that all United State citizens have equal protection of laws and rights in the United States.

15th Amendement

Feb 3, 1870

The 15th Amendment was another major Amendment added to combat slavery. The Amendment states that the federal government and each state can not deny a person the right to vote based on their race, color, or previous servitude.

Plessy v. Ferguson

May 18, 1896

In this case, an African-American named Plessy refused to move from seating in a white-only train car. He was arrested for refusing to move. In his court hearing, he sued the judge, Ferguson. He the case to the Supreme Court because he thought his 14th Amendment rights weren't protected. The Supreme Court ruled that segregation can still happen but, they need to be equal facilities. The 14th Amendment only protected political and civil segregation.

19th Amendment

Jun 18, 1920

This Amendment stated that the right to vote can not be denied by the United States based on sex. The Amendment allows women to vote for the first time, which was a major step towards women's rights.

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1949

In this case, Brown sued the Topeka school district because his daughter was denied into their all-white elementary school. He claimed the all-white school was not equal to the school of black people. The case was taken to the Supreme Court because he lost in the district courts. The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools are inherently unequal so, there should be no more segregation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1957

This act prohibited the discrimination of a person based on sex, race, color, religion, or national origin. The act also ended segregation, especially in public spaces.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Sep 8, 1965

The Voting Act was a way to further the 15th Amendment. The act prohibited any test or device that was needed to be completed in order to vote. It made voting open to any minority group.

Reed v. Reed

Oct 19, 1971

At the time of this case, there was a law in Idaho that made men be preferred more than women. This law made a problem arise in a case where a divorced couple needed to be named administrators of their deceased son's property. Because of the law, the man got picked. Reed decided it was unfair so she brought it to court. The Supreme Court ruled that it is breaking the 14th Amendment to decide something based on sex. The Idaho law was changed in order to not prefer a certain genre over another.

Title IX

Jun 23, 1972

This was a federal rights law that was passed to prohibit sex discrimination in education or school programs that received federal aid.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Jun 26, 1978

Allan Bakke applied for the University of California's Med School twice without getting in. According to the school, 16 spots (out of 100) were reserved for those in "minority" racial groups as a means to diversify the medical field. However, Bakke's test scores and grades exceeded those who were in the 16 spots. The Supreme court decided that school admission should not have anything to do with race. But, they also extended gains for racial minorities through affirmative action.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Jul 26, 1990

This act prohibited discrimination against citizens with disabilities. It led to having more accessible things and a general acceptance of disabled people.

Obergefell v. Hodges

Jun 26, 2015

In this case, groups of same-sex married couples sued states for not legally recognizing the same-sex marriages that occurred in states that allowed it. The Supreme court ultimately decided that same-sex marriages should have the same legal rights as marriages that are opposite-sex marriages. It is no longer a state-by-state decision.