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Dred Scott vs. Sanford
The slave, Dred Scott, was a slave in Missouri (a slave state) but lived Illinois (a free state). He filled a claim to Missouri for his freedom and lost in Missouri and then took the case to federal court. The end decision was that African Americans were not US citizen so they were not able to sue in federal court. -
The 13th Amendment
This amendment was ratified after the civil war to say that slavery was no longer legal in the United States. This abolished slavery. This did not bring equality for African Americans though due to the lasting racism and the unwillingness of some to allow it. -
The 14th Amendemnt
The 14th amendment was created after the civil war as a way to help people earn citizenship despite where they were from and their ethnicity. It also attempted to help people of color have access to the same rights and protections from the government as white people. -
15th Amendment
This amendment was passed in hopes to allow African Americans to vote. This was combated by Literacy tests in the south. These tests were put in place as means to stop African Americans because they were not as educated due to the fact they were not allowed to go to School. These tests were eventually banned because they were recognized as unfair to people who did not get as much schooling. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
This was a court case that upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the implication that "separate but equal" was still a valid way to end racism. It stemmed from Homer Plessy refusing to sit on a "blacks only" train car. -
White Primaries
White primaries happened in most of the ex-confederates states where they did allow black people to vote but only gave the choice between white people. This basically discredited any black voters because they were unable to truly and fairly choose a candidate. -
19th Amendment
This amendment was to allow to have the right to vote (at the time it was only white women) this was then passed after many years of argument between many interest groups. However, not all women embraced this due to the fact that not all women were able to vote or they were against the idea of being able to have rights -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment was first proposed in 1923 and has resurfaced multiple times. To this day has only been ratified by 38 states. If ratified, it would guarantee equal rights to all women. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This court case ended school segregation and allowed interracial schooling. This effectively ended the "separate but equal" doctrine that the Jim Crow era had been clinging to. -
Affirmative Action
This helps support a marginalized or minority group that has suffered discrimination. Some oppose this thinking that it gives them an unfair advantage even though they have been systematically oppressed for generations. -
Poll taxes
Federal poll taxes were used as a way to make revenue from elections for things like president. It was only 1$ to a couple but back when this was a large issue, 1$ in 1965 was about 7.25 in todays money. You can easily see once it become 5 bucks in some states, that is nearly $40 in todays money, why so many were angry. -
The 24th Amendment
This amendment was passed after the country vocalized they believed that taxing Americans at the polls was unfair to the lower classes. It abolished all federal taxes in federal elections at the polls. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was an act to end public segregation in all places in the United States.This was also the first of many attempts to end job discrimination based on sex, race, religion, national origin and act. This act is currently being carefully evaluated by the Supreme Court to see if sexual orientation and transgender Americans also fall within this. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This was to attempt to make the 15th amendment actually work they way it needed to. After many southern sates adopted literacy tests, many public figures came out during the civil rights era trying to point out the fact these tests were preventing Americans from voting. -
Reed vs. Reed
This case decreed that preferring males to females on matters of estates was unconstitutional. This was a big step towards equal rights for women. -
Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke
This was one of the many cases that upheld affirmative action when it comes to race and college admissions. However, some of the Supreme Court justices believed that race could still be a consideration when it came to admissions which upset many people. -
Bowers vs. Hardwick
This case upheld the Georgia law criminalizing oral and anal sex between two men. The law discriminated against gay couples and started a modern witch-hunt for gay men. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
This act is an unfunded mandate prohibiting discrimination based on disabilities. It aims to ensure that disabled Americans aren't taken advantage of. -
Lawrence vs. Texas
This case overturned the decision made in Bowers vs. Hardwick and declared that laws prohibiting homosexual activity in private were unconstitutional and that Georgia sodomy laws were unjust. -
Obergefell vs. Hodges
The Supreme Court finally decided that it is unconstitutional to prohibit same-sex couples from marrying by both Due Process and Equal Protection.
