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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a black man from Mississippi who moved to Illinois, a state that outlawed slavery, and lived there for around ten years. Upon moving back to Mississippi, Scott declared that he could not be made a slave because he was a free man because he previously lived in Illinois. When the case was taken to the Supreme Court, it was decided that African-Americans were not and could never be citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment outlaws slavery (also involuntary servitude) except as a punishment for a crime in the U.S. or in the U.S.'s jurisdiction. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment lays out citizenship rights- anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen of the U.S. as well as certain rights of citizens- "equal protection of the laws" is a big part of this amendment which has been widely used in many court cases regarding racial discrimination, gender discrimination, vote recounts, and reproductive rights. It ultimately has been used in many civil rights cases due to its Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment makes it so no one can be denied the right to vote on the basis of race. But, this did not stop many states from suppressing black voters and finding ways to discourage black people from voting. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes were one of the ways that many (Southern) states discouraged black voters. In order to be eligible to vote, there was a fee. To further target these taxes to black people, there was an exception made for poor whites that allowed them to vote if they had an ancestor that voted before the Civil War. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson upheld that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the accommodations were "separate but equal". This is what led to Jim Crow legislation and what made segregated facilities the norm. -
White Primaries
White primaries were one of ways that Southern states continued to suppress black voters even after the 13th amendment was ratified. White primaries excluded blacks from being allowed to vote in primary elections. Also, the Democratic party was so prevalent in the South that often times the Republican party didn't even bother to run in general elections- this all but eliminated the opportunity for black men to vote. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote- the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of sex. This was a monumental time as giving women the right to vote essentially allowed any U.S. citizen voter eligibility. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The decision on this case was unanimous. This overturned the precedent set in Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a set of practices that a government uses in order to increase the representation of groups in areas that they are underrepresented. Although it has been around for a long time, it was first formally introduced to the U.S. government in 1961 by JFK through an executive order. But, as of today, there are a handful of states that have banned affirmative action. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment abolishes poll taxes. Although it was almost 100 years since black people were given the right to vote, many poll stations implemented a tax or even a test that had to be passed in order to vote to discourage black voters. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. It is widely considered one of the most important pieces of legislation in the civil rights movement. It was proposed by JFK and was expanded on in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed voting practices that discouraged people from voting. Many Southern states practiced things such as literacy tests in order for voting eligibility after the 13th amendment. This act basically enforced what the 15th amendment was hoping to do. -
Reed v. Reed
Reed v. Reed overturned a law in Idaho that required a man to serve as administrator over an estate when a woman was just as qualified. It set the precedent that administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminated on the basis of sex. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The ERA is an amendment that coincides with what is stated in the 19th amendment. It was first drafted in 1923 not long after the 19th amendment was ratified. It was made to guarantee equal legal rights for American citizens regardless of divorce and employment. Congress passed in 1972 and the states were given until 1979 to ratify it- which did not happen. Just recently, 38 states ratified the amendment leaving lawmakers unsure what to do next. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of UC v. Bakke ruled that the use of racial quotas in the admissions process was not Constituional- it violates the Equal Protection Clause. But, a school should use affirmative action to accept more minority applicants. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick decided that the Constitution did not protect the rights of gay individuals to engage in private, consensual sodomy. It set the precedent that states could outlaw this practice as it was no a fundamental right protected by the Due Process Clause. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disabilities in employment, government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. To be protected by the ADA, an individual has to have a disability or a relationship with someone with a disability. -
Lawrence v. Texas
In the case of Lawrence v. Texas, there was a law in the state of Texas that criminalized certain intimate sexual conduct between two consenting adults of the same sex. When brought to the Supreme Court, they decided that it was unconstitutional (violation of the Due Process Clause) to restrict and criminalize sexual conduct. This case essentially overturned the precedent that Bowers v. Harwick created. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges is the case that allowed for gay marriage to be recognized throughout the entire U.S.; the court ultimately decided that any bans and regulations on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional under both the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. It is one of the most well-known cases as of today.
