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Dred Scott v. Sandford
This court case was about a slave who claimed he was a free man since he was in Illinois (a free state). The court had to decide whether being in a free state meant he was free from slavery. The court ruled that he has no citizenship in the US since he was brought here under slave terms, so he isn't able to sue in the supreme court. It also found the Missouri Compromise of 1820 unconstitutional, meaning that Congress couldn't free slaves within Federal territories. -
13th Amendment
This Amendment, pushed by Abraham Lincoln, came out after the end of the Civil War. It makes slavery illegal in the US for all states, making all slaves free people. It also makes any involuntary servitude and peonage illegal. -
14th Amendment
Just a year later after the 13th Amendment, the 14th Amendment was passed by the Senate. It granted citizenship to anyone who was born or nationalized in the United States. This allowed for free slaves to become citizens and have "equal protection under the laws." This was also the amendment that included the due process clause, allowing for Bill of Rights Amendments to be ratified by the states when challenged. -
15th Amendment
This amendment gave African Americans the right to vote. The Amendment makes it so that voters can't be restricted based on race. Even with the Amendment, however, African Americans still had an uphill battle to get their voices heard, especially in the South. -
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Jim Crow Era
The Jim Crow laws were certain restrictions put out by states and counties mainly in the south, but also in the north, that restricted certain people who can vote. This was meant to mainly affect African Americans, making it extremely difficult for them to cast a vote, if at all. It would involve people having to take literacy tests and poll taxes, things that most African Americans couldn't afford or do at the time. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy was a black man who decided, in part with the Committee of Citizens, to sit in a whites-only car on a train. He was arrested, and the committee sued, claiming that the Separate Car Act, enacted by Louisiana, violated the 13th Amendment. The Supreme Court stated that the law was constitutional, stating that segregation was okay as long as everyone has the same rights and the same conditions and opportunities. -
19th Amendment
During the Civil Rights Movement, women fought for their right to vote after everyone else they could. The 19th Amendment answers their call. The Amendment gives women the right to women's suffrage, gaining them the right to vote. -
Brown v. Board of Education
An African American parent, Mr. Brown, wanted his kid to go to the white school, since it was closer to the black school, and also had better service. When his kid was denied entry, he sued the school, saying that they were violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that this was indeed the case, and decided to make the segregation of schools illegal. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a set of laws and policies that were intended to get rid of certain forms of discrimination. The phrase was first used when John F. Kennedy was President when he pushed an executive order to push government contractors to better consider how to get rid of discrimination, specifically in the workforce. Other presidents would add to this like Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Many laws were made in an attempt to end discrimination throughout the US. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of them. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination of any form. This allowed more people to get better jobs with the same or similar benefits, with the same chances at also getting fired. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Jim Crow laws created many issues with African Americans being able to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was meant as a way to get around this. It allows the government to be able to bypass legal barriers at state and local levels that discriminated against African Americans from voting to push the 15th Amendment on those states and counties. -
Reed v. Reed
After the death of their adopted son, Cecil, and Sally Reed (separated) sought to become the administrator of their son's estate. The Idaho Probate Code made it so that males were the preferred sex over females in terms of being appointed administrators of estates, making Cecil the appointed administrator. Sally challenged this law in court, and the Supreme Court unanimously decided against the law, stating that it violated the 14th Amendment, which gave equal protection to all, even females. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment is an amendment that would invalidate all state and federal laws that discriminate against women. 35 of the 38 states quickly ratified the amendment but were just barely shy of being able to pass it. When the 7-year time limit for the amendment to pass was nearing its final days, President Jimmy Carter extended the time limit an extra three years. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Bakke, a white man, applied twice to the University of California Medical School at Davis but was repeatedly denied entry as the last 16 spots were reserved for minority groups. He challenged them in court claiming that he was being excluded purely by race. The Supreme Court said yes and no to his claim, stating that in this case, he should be able to attend the school, but also states that having certain criteria based on race is also acceptable. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer while being engaged in consensual homosexual sodomy. He was charged with violating a Georgia law that criminalized sodomy. Hardwick fought back, challenging the law's constitutionality. The Supreme Court stated that, since there was no protection against sodomy in the Constitution, the law of state law still stands. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This act was yet another civil act passed to stop certain types of discrimination in America. This act specifically protects the rights and civil liberties of citizens with disabilities. This made it so that jobs had to accommodate people with disabilities when they could so they had a place of work. This also made it so that public transportation and other public areas had to make accommodations for disabled citizens. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act made it so that citizens will be able to vote at state motor vehicle agencies. This was done to make voting way more viable for a lot of people. The impact it had was a 1.82% increase by 1996, adding about 3,390,000 people to the voting pool. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence was found by police to have had consensual sexual acts with another man. He was convicted of violating a Texas statute stating that same-sex sexual conduct is prohibited. Lawrence challenged the ruling. The Supreme Court concluded that the Texas law did violate the Due Process Clause and that the 14th Amendment did protect Lawrence and the other man's privacy when it came to sexual conduct with each other. They also overruled the conclusion made in Bowers v. Hardwick. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Multiple groups of same-sex couples sued their respective states to challenge the constitutionality of the bans on same-sex marriage. They claimed it violated the Equal Protection Clause, the Due Process Clause, and even the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court agreed that same-sex marriage was protected under the Constitution and must also be recognized by all states.