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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave who lived in free territory and a free state. When he returned to Missouri, where slavery was permitted, he filed a suit for his freedom. He claimed that his residence in free territory made him a free man, but his owner claimed that he was not a citizen. In a 7-2 decision, The Court held that Scott didn’t have the right to file a case in court because he was inherently not a citizen, but property instead. -
13th Amendment
On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified into the Constitution, formally abolishing slavery, and involuntary servitude. This immediately freed over 100,000 slaves and was the turning point in the long journey for equality. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was adopted into the Constitution in 1868. It gave equal rights to African Americans and emancipated slaves following the Civil War. It was one of the three amendments passed during the Reconstruction Era and would be used to make decisions on many landmark Supreme Court Cases to follow. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1870 and it guaranteed that nobody could be denied the right to vote based off of race, color, or previous servitude. This was another Reconstruction Era amendment working to give equal legal rights to African Americans. -
Poll Taxes
Beginning around the 1890’s, poll taxes were set taxes that everyone had to pay, regardless of income or background. They were often used as a legal loophole around the 15th Amendment in order to keep African Americans and other minorities from voting, as many couldn’t afford to pay it. -
White Primaries
Many white primaries were established in southern states around 1895-1905. They were primary elections that only white voters were allowed to participate in. They were heavily used in the South and are another example of legal loopholes that the South used to continue its discrimination against minorities. -
Plessy V Ferguson
Plessy, who was 7/8 Caucasian and 1/8 African American, went to sit in a white only car on a train. When he was asked to go to a black only car due to the Separate Car Act and refused, he was arrested. This raised the question as to whether the Separate Car Act violated the 14th Amendment. The Court held that this Act was constitutional because segregation did not imply discrimination if the cars were the same. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment, passed in 1919, is another voting amendment and this time dealing on the premise of sex. This was a result of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and stated that no person should be denied the right to vote by sex. -
Brown v. Board of Education
African American students had been denied access to their public schools based on race because of the precedence set in Plessy v Ferguson. This raised the question as to whether segregation of education based on race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Court held that the segregation of schools based solely on race was a violation of the 14th Amendment. This set a precedence for education going forward and was a turning point in legal race relations. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment was passed in 1964 and it prohibited the use of poll taxes. Though the 15th Amendment stated that voting could not be prevented on the basis of race or color, poll taxes were often used to stop low income, which were mostly colored people, from being able to vote. The institution of the 24th Amendment made participating in elections much more accessible. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act which prohibited discrimination by sex, race, color, and religion. This worked to end segregation and discrimination in public places and combat Jim Crow Laws, becoming a keystone piece in the Civil Rights Movement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Much like the 24th Amendment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 worked to help break down obstacles meant to prevent African Americans from voting. Signed in by Lyndon B. Johnson, the Act outlawed practices in many southern states such as literacy tests as a standard for voting. -
Reed v. Reed
Idaho stated male to be preferred over female when dealing with estates. When divorced parents lost their son, they both wanted to be the administrator of his estate and the father won. The wife challenged this, raising the question if the code violated The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Court held that this was unconstitutional and set a precedence for the equal legal treatment of women moving forward. Above is Ginsburg, a lawyer to the appellant Sally Reed. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment that worked to guarantee equal rights regardless of sex. It would have ended legal distinction for things such as divorce and employment. Though it passed in the Senate in 1972, it was never fully passed due to a feminism backlash in the 1970’s -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Bakke was a white male who applied and got rejected from the Regents of the UC Medical School. The school reserved 16/100 spots for minority students and he argued that he was rejected on race. This raised the question if this violated the 14th Amendment, and The Court came out to a split vote. They ordered the admission of Bakke, stating that while the use of racial quotas was unconstitutional, accepting more minorities was constitutional. This set precedence for affirmative action. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative actions are policies and practices meant to promote the inclusion of certain genders, races, sexualities, etc., especially where they are underrepresented. An example of this would be in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke when the University promoted the admission of minorities to their medical school. They became more popular following the Bakke case due to the precedent that was set. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Hardwick was found in his home having homosexual sodomy. Because of Georgie state laws, he was convicted. Hardwick challenged the constitutionality of the state law criminalizing homosexual sodomy, raising the question as to whether The Court found this as a fundamental right. The Court held that the state law was constitutional, as nothing in the Constitution is explicitly protected, and that instead they were to look at tradition. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
Passed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability. This included anywhere from education and employment to public and private places. -
Motor Voter Act
Passed by Congress in 1993, the Motor Voter Act stated that voting registration was to be offered by mail-in, at vehicle registration buildings, and at other offices such as disability and public assistance offices. This worked to make it easier for people to have access to voting registration -
Lawrence v. Texas
Police entered the home of Lawrence and found him in intercourse with a man. They were convicted as Texas outlawed homosexuality and when taken to court, it was seen that this was not unconstitutional due to Bowers v. Hardwick. This raised the question if it violated the 14th Amendment. The Court held that it violated the Due Process Clause, and that Texas had no state interest justifying their outlawing of private relations. This overturned the precedence set in Bowers v. Hardwick. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Same-sex couples sued their state agencies for the prohibition of same-sex marriage. This raised the questions of whether the 14th Amendment granted marriage between same-sex couples, and whether the 14th Amendment meant that states that outlawed same-sex marriages had to recognize same-sex marriages granted in other states. The Court held that the 14th Amendment guaranteed same-sex marriages to be recognized and granted, setting the precedent of the right to marriage.