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Dred Scott v. Sanford
After residing in a free state as a slave, Dred Scott sued Sanford because he believed he was a free man after residing in a free state. The court showed that African-Americans were not considered American citizens, therefore the constitution and laws didn't apply to them. It showed the Missouri Compromise couldn't free slaves. -
13th Amendment
Slavery or involuntary servitude is illegal under the U.S. constitution unless it is a punishment in which the person was fairly and rightfully convicted. Congress can enforce this with the legislation necessary to carry it out. -
14th Amendment
All people born in the U.S. are naturalized citizens and individual states can't pass laws to try and take that away from anyone. Everyone has equal protection under the laws. Representatives have to be apportioned evenly around the state, and every male citizen aged 21 or older has the right to vote unless they have committed a crime that has that as the punishment. -
15th Amendment
The right for any citizen shouldn't be limited or stopped by any state based on race, the color of skin, or previous state of servitude. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Supreme court case that upheld the idea of segregation through the "separate but equal" doctrine which said that segregation was allowed if both facilities for whites and blacks were equal. -
White Primaries
Elections in the south only allowed white people to participate. This completely discriminated against voters based on race, let alone who could run. -
19th Amendment
No citizen shall be denied the right to vote based on sex. This extremely significant as it was a huge step in the women fight for equality by granting them this basic but important right to help shape the country for the future. -
Equal Rights Amendment
A huge step in achieving equality based on sex. It aimed to give women more equal legal freedom compared to men in issues like divorce, property, and employment. This is another huge step in getting women equal to men. -
Brown v Board of Education
Huge Supreme Court case that ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional and illegal. This was a huge step forward in creating equality for nonwhites in America. -
Affirmative Action
The idea of favoring minority groups who have been discriminated against in the past to give them more freedoms and opportunities to set a new precedent -
Poll Taxes
A tax that people have to pay to the government when they go to vote. Isn't influenced by income by the individual, used to help to fund for poll locations. 24th amendment abolished the use of poll tax to determine if someone can or can't vote -
Poll Taxes
Tax paid by all people voting as a way to fund poll locations. Fixed tax rate, not determined by income. Limiting people from voting based on not paying poll tax was deemed unconstitutional in 1964 through 24th amendment -
24th Amendment
The right of all Americans to vote for a government official cannot be limited if they have failed to pay a poll tax or any kind of taxes, everyone always has the free right to vote. Poll taxes illegal -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Law that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and nationality. This made it harder for places to discriminate and segregate -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Made different discriminatory actions used primarily in the South to limit people from voting illegal, therefore allowing ALL citizens to exercise their right to vote. -
Reed v Reed
The major case that gave women more power and closer to equality with men. It made an Idaho law illegal that said that the owner of a house has to be a man. This case showed that a woman can be picked if they have equal or more credentials. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
The case that deemed racial quotas in the college admission process unconstitutional. However, it allowed for affirmative action by a school to let more minorities into the university, but not a specific amount. -
Bowers v Hardwick
Someone was caught having homosexual intercourse by a cop and was arrested based on a state law that outlawed homosexual intercourse. Went to the supreme court, but the supreme court ruled this law constitutional -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Gave people with disabilities the opportunity to be equal under the law, prohibits discrimination based on disability. This is significant because it gets all Americans closer to being equals. -
Lawrence v Texas
Overturned Bowers v Hardwick, deemed state laws that made homosexual intercourse illegal unconstitutional. THis is big because it gave the homosexual community more rights and got them closer to equality -
Obergefell v Hodges
The huge supreme court case that allowed same-sex marriages and deemed it a natural right to all Americans. Gave same-sex couples more opportunities and rights.