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Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri and taken to Illinois territory by his slave owners which was a free state. After the Missouri compromise he sued for his freedom. This was a landmark in the civil rights movement because the court decided that African Americans, free or slave, were still not American citizens and couldn't sue in federal court. -
13th amendment
The 13th amendment to the constitution overall abolished slavery in the united states except for punishment for a crime. 1864 was when the senate took the biggest steps into abolishing slavery and all partied joined together to pass the amendment. -
14th amendment
The 14th amendment granted citizenship to people born in the United States. This was important to African Americans civil rights because it granted former slaves who were freed after the civil war United States citizenship. It also forbid states to restrict basic rights to all citizens. -
15th amendment
The 15th amendment granted African American men the right to vote.The amendment says the rights of citizens to vote shouldn't be declined because of their color, race, or previous condition of servitude. -
Plessy v Ferguson
This was a landmark in the US Supreme court that said it was constitutional for racial segregation as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality. This later became known as the term" Separate but equal". After this case Jim Crow laws began to spread across the United States. -
19th amendment
Passed in 1919 and ratified in 1920, the 19th amendment gave all American women the right to vote. This victory took decades of protesting and agitation and after years and years of suffrage women finally got to exercise their right to vote. States like Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin were the first states to ratify the amendment. -
White Primaries
White Primaries were primary elections held in southern states where only white voters were allowed to vote. This disenfranchised minorities to exercise their right to vote. Primaries are held to find the preference in a parties candidate and narrow down parties candidates. White primaries were ended in 1944 when the supreme court ruled it was unconstitutional. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In this supreme court case, the court ruled that united state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional even if the segregated schools were equal in quality. This helped to integrate American schools and was a movement in civil rights for African Americans This case showed how the segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment. -
Affirmative Action
This is a policy that an individuals race, color, sex, religion or national origin should be taken into account for hiring or advancement to minorities to make up for past discrimination. This helped improve many things for minorities like education. This was first introduced by president Kennedy in 1961. -
24th amendment
Many African American citizens had to pay taxes to vote in elections because of poll taxes. In 1964 when the 24th amendment was passed, it prohibited pool taxes in elections for federal officials. This was passed to stop Jim-Crow laws which disenfranchised black voters and segregation. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes in the united states have been used to disenfranchise African Americans from voting. Many southern states passed Poll taxes since many African Americans didn't have the money to pay for them, so they couldn't exercise their right to vote. Poll taxes lasted a very long time but in 1964 when they ratified the 24th amendment it prohibited poll taxes in federal elections. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was a landmark in the civil rights movement because it outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion or sex. It also prohibited unequal voter registration and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting rights act of 1965 was a landmark in federal legislature that prohibited racial discrimination in voting. It aimed to overcome legal barriers at state and local levels that made it very hard for African Americans to exercise their right to vote. It made things like literacy tests illegal. -
Reed v. Reed
This was an equal protection clause that applied to the 14th amendment. The supreme court ruled you cannot discriminate between sexes and it was very important to women's rights. This was the first time that the supreme court ruled its equal protections clause to women. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This was a proposed amendment to the United States constitution that was designed to guarantee equal rights for all Americans regardless of sex. It was sought to end the legal distinctions between men and women in things like divorce, property or employment. The amendment was passed in 1972 and sent to the states for ratification. By 1977 the states had ratified this amendment. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In this case the supreme court ruled it was unconstitutional for university's to use race in their admissions process. This invalidated the use of racial quotas. The ruled on Bakke's side saying racial quotas violated the equal protection clause under the 14th amendment. They also ruled that Bakke be admitted to the University of California. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
In this case the supreme court ruled the constitution does not protect the rights of gay adults to engage in private sexual activities. When Hardwick was seen performing homosexual activities by a police officer he was charged with violating a Georgia statue and he challenged the statues constitutionally in federal court. -
Americans with Dissabilities Act
This was a civil rights act that prohibits the discrimination against Americans with disabilities. This made discrimination for disabled people illegal in all places like transportation, jobs, schools and anywhere in the general public. The ADA defines a person with a disability as anyone with a physical or mental impairment that limits their quality of life. -
Lawerence v. Texas
The supreme court ruled that criminalizing sexual conduct between two adults of the same sex was unconstitutional. This overall overturned the Bowers v. Hardwick case in 1986 and let consenting adults perform homosexual activity. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This is a landmark civil rights case when the supreme court ruled that it is a fundamental right to marry for same sex couples because of the due process clause and equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. This made marriages for same sex couples legal across the country and finally gave them their right to get married.
