-
Dred Scott, the plaintiff, was a former slave in Missouri that escaped to Illinois as a new free man. He returned to Missouri and filed a lawsuit claiming that he was now a free man and no longer property of his former master. Scott lost his original case. But when taken to the Supreme Court some believed that because his ancestors were imported in, he had no rights. While others believed that as African Americans had the right to vote, meant they could be free. In this case, Dred Scott lost.
-
Plessy was 7/8 white wanted to test Louisiana's Separate Car Act where trains has different carts for whites and blacks. Under Louisiana law, Plessy is technically African American. When he refused to leave the white only cart he was arrested and tried. The Supreme Court decided that the states law was constitutional and decided against Plessy.
-
The white primaries were primary elections held in the south to reduce the number of African American votes. In these primary elections only white voters were allowed to participate. The white primaries were created by the Democratic Party who believed only white Americans should have the right to vote.
-
Cases were compiled from Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington DC where African American students had been denied admittance to public schools because of their race. They lost in lower courts, but the Supreme Court decided that such actions violated the Equal Protection Clause. In their explanation, they made sure to use simple language so that any American could understand that this type of segregation would not be allowed.
-
The Affirmative Actions were sets of policies, laws, guidelines, and administrative practices made to address the ages of discrimination faced by minorities in America. Their purpose was aimed to work to correct the years of effects that the minority groups faced.
-
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked the end of legal segregation in public places and banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, etc. At this time many states tried to find/use loop holes around this, but with this new act it made it much more difficult to find those loop holes.
-
A poll tax was a tax fixed amount of money that every person had to pay, no matter what their income was. This was collected from those that voted. They created this tax, because at the time they believed only educated people had money. And if you couldn't pay the tax, then you couldn't vote.
-
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made discrimination against voters illegal. Many states in the south adopted ways to stop African Americans from voting like impossible literacy tests. But with this act, it made those racist tests and loop holes illegal. Giving everyone the right to vote with no special rules.
-
Sally and Cecil Reed were separated, but had an adopted son together. When their son died, both wanted to receive control over his estate. Idaho's Probate Code made males preferred rather than females, so Cecil was given the estate. Sally challenged this and the Supreme Court decided unanimously that it was unconstitutional to prefer men over women.
-
An amendment designed to guarantee equal rights to all Americans citizens regardless of gender. Purpose of the amendment is to end legal disagreements between men and women in cases like divorce and equally dispersing property.
-
Bakke applied to the University of California Medical School twice and was rejected both times. The school had a "qualified" minorities program and Bakke believed that he was rejected both times because of his race, his test scores were above the average at the school. The Supreme Court ordered the University to admit Bakke, but did not believe that race was the sole reason he was not accepted.
-
Hardwick was seen by a police officer in his own bedroom having sexual intercourse with another man. He was then charged with violating a statute of Georgia's. Hardwick challenged that charge and it was taken up to the Supreme Court. There, they decided in favor against Hardwick. They found that there was nothing in the Constitution that protected acts of same sex intercourse.
-
This act prohibits discrimination of those with disabilities in a variety of areas. Such as work, transportation, public accommodations, etc. Making sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
-
The 14th Amendment grants US citizenship to those born or naturalized in the United States. Which includes former slaves, giving them the right to vote and complete freedom. The amendment includes the fact that States cannot take away any persons life, liberty, or property without due process. This was instilled, because former slave owners believed that anything their slaves owned was theirs. They believed that anything an African American owned wasn't there's because they were seen as less.
-
The 13th Amendment in simple terms is what abolished slavery. It made any form of involuntary or unpaid work illegal under the Constitution.
-
The 15th Amendment states that the right of American citizen's to vote shall not be effected or denied by anyone or anything because of race, color, or servitude. This amendment was created to counteract the tests set up by states in the south.
-
The 24th Amendment is very similar to the 14th Amendment in that the right of a citizen to vote in any primary or other election cannot be denied or blocked. This targets the southern states that created impossible literacy tests for African Americans to take and fail so that they would not be able to vote. When a citizen is denied their right to vote, their voice is being denied as well.
-
The 19th Amendment states that a US citizen cannot be denied their right to vote based on gender. This amendment was put into place trying to make men and women equal. Although we are still striving for that today, any step is a step towards progress.
-
Houston police entered Lawrence's apartment on a disturbance call, and upon entering police found Lawrence and another man engaged in sexual intercourse. Police then arrested the two of deviate sexual intercourse. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Lawrence. Stating that Texas' law violates the Due Process Clause.
-
In Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee same sex couples challenged the constitutionality of the bans or refusal to recognize of same sex marriage. The plaintiffs of each case all argued that that violated the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause in the 14th Amendment. In the Supreme Court, it went 5-4 in favor of the plaintiffs. They agreed that the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause were both violated if a state bans or won't recognize same sex marriage.
