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The Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment reads "Neither slavery or involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Ratified during the Civil War, it freed the slaves and banned any form of slavery or servitude. This allowed for a larger freedom in the United States, and served as a catalyst for further laws, Amendments, and acts that continue to protect the rights of minorities in America today. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment gives everyone born in America, and those who became citizens through the correct legal procedures, the right to due process under the law, and equal protection under the American Law. This Amendment, at the time, gave slaves the power of citizens, and helped to incorporate them into society. This Amendment continues to give minorites equal protection under laws and create a more equal America. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment gave all citizens the right to vote, stating that the right to vote will not be denied to anyone on account of their "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This Amendment spurred the movement for civil rights in America, By allowing everyone to vote, except for women at the time, America was on its way to becoming a nation in which "all men are created equal." This Amendment also led to other acts, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Jim Crow
A Virginia law prohibits black and white children from attending the same schools. The measure will be renewed in 1882, 1902, 1930, 1956, and 1958. Jim Crow laws in the South allowed people to legally segregate anything they wished. Jim Crow laws where made from ~1865-1965, and were some of the biggest factors in the judging of skin color in America. These laws restricted people from using the rights given to them in the Bill of Rights and Constitution. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
A 1896 Supreme Court decision ruling that "seperate but equal" laws and doctrines are constitutional. Later repealed in Brown v. Board of Education, this major decision solidified the Jim Crow laws in the United States and allowed for legal segregation until the 1960's. This decision significantly decreased the freedoms that African American's were granted through the Bill of Rights and the Civil War Amendments and undermined all that Lincoln hoped to accomplish through Reconstruction. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote federal, state, and local elections. With the ratification of this Amendment, all citizens of the United States are given the right to vote. For women, this was a large stepping stone in their fight for rights. This Amendment ends up leading to more legislation and Supreme Court cases that support women's privacy and their status as full participants in society. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This Constitutional Amendment was introduced in 1923, passed Congress in 1972, but failed to get 3/4 of state ratification. The provisions were that equalities could not be denied to anyone on the basis of sex. It was originally proposed by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman because they felt as if the 24th Amendment was not enough to protect women from discrimination. Even though this Amendment was never ratified, it continues to be debated in politics, and has led to other laws for equality. -
Literacy Tests
Literacy tests were present in the United States from the 1890's to the 1960's, mostly in the South. They, along with poll taxes and the grandfather clause, were designed to keep minorities from voting or holding elective offices. While literary tests were banned by a clause in the 14th Amendment, it was never enforced. Literacy tests, along with other means of discouraging voting significantly reduced the presence of minorities that could participate in America's democratic government. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes have existed in the United States since the dawn of Jim Crow laws. In the Supreme Court case Breedlove v. Suttles, the Court ruled that poll taxes were constitutional. It was not until the 24th Amendment that poll taxes were completely abolished from the United States. Poll taxes effectively kept African Americans, and women, from voting in Southern states for over 100 years. These laws sufficiently suppressed minorities in the United States. -
Korematsu v. United States
In this 1944 Supreme Court case, the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066--which ordered Japanese-Americans into interment camps during WWII--was determined. The Court ruled that their internment was constitutional, the first time that the Court had applied 'strict scrutiny" to racial discrimination by the government. This case is significant, as the blowback was an indicator of the civil rights movement to surface in the 1950s-1960s. Minorities still did not have the rights they deserved. -
Sweatt v. Painter
This Supreme Court case involved Herman Sweatt, an African American, who was refused admission from the University of Texas School of Law due to their constitution prohibiting integrated education. The University created a law school for "Negroes", however, the Court ruled that in graduate school senarios, "substantive equality" was required. This court case if very significant, as it led to the Brown v. Board of Education decision four years later and numerous other university integrations. -
Brown v. Board of Education
A 1954 Supreme Court decision that repealed the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1986. It ruled that segregation in schools is unconstitutional and violate the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection. This case ended legal segreagation in the United States. "Seperate but equal" laws are no longer valid, and this decision led to many more cases banning segregation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to surrended her seat on the bus to a white person, and was arrested, spurring a year-long boycott of buses in the Monegomery and surrounding areas. With the Supreme Court ruling in 1956 that segregated bus laws are unconstitutional, the early civil rights battle in the 50s was born. With the desegregation of buses, the desegregation of public transportation folled years later. -
Ruby Bridges
November 14, 1960 was the first day that schools in New Orleans were court-ordered to integrate. Ruby Bridges, six at the time, attended William Frantz Elementary School. While people protested and took their children out of school, they eventually came back. This event is significant because it led to the eventual Supreme Court case or Brown v. Board of Education which required ALL schools to desegregate, thus giving all Americans the right to have an equal education. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a policy that favors members of a minority in admission decisions or jobs. The term affirmative action was first used by JFK when he signed Executive Order 11246 which required government employers to take "affirmative action" to "hire without regard to race, religion, sex, and national orgin". Since its creation, affirmative action has given minorities a larger say and presence in public corporations and the government, along with being able to finally assert their rights. -
Twenty-Fourth Amendment
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment banned poll taxes in America. Because people in the South were passing laws under Jim Crow that taxed African Americans if they wanted to vote, the passing of this Amendment decreased the amount of "law" segregation in the South. African Americans and other minorities could now vote because they had the right, not because they had the money. -
Civil Rights Act of 1965
This Act was signed into law by LBJ in1964 and outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national orgin. This Act also ended unequal voting ratios in the South and segregation in schools, workplaces, and facilities that served the general public. Upholding rights that African American's recieved over 100 years earlier, this sweeping Act was one of the single biggest pieces of legislation passed that guaranteed civil rights for all minorities, and has led to many more laws. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
On August 6, 1965 this Act was signed into law by LBJ and was designed to help end both formal and informal barriers to African American's voting rights by sending federal registrars to Southern states to register black voters. This Act significantly increased the amount of African American voters and elected officials in the South and has made voting what it is today. This Act has furthered voting accessibility by leading to federal mandates that require voting ballots to be in other languages. -
Loving v. Virginia
This Supreme Court case banned all attempts and laws of state and local governments to make interracial marriage illegal. This case was yet another factor in the removal of lawful segregation in America. With the removal of these laws, everybody was free to marry whoever they wanted to, and their right to privacy was also confirmed. -
Robert Kennedy Indianapolis Speech
While on a routine Democratic presidential nomination tour, Robert Kennedy was given the task of telling a mostly black crowd in Indianapolis of MLK's assassination. The crowd was placated by Kennedy during his speech, as he told them that they had a right to be angry, however they needed to bring America together. Its significance was that it united parts of the nation and made a very public call for the desegregation of all places in America and the lessening of the hate felt by both sides. -
Reed v. Reed
This Supreme Court case was an argument for equal protection under the law that ruled that administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes. Sally and Cecil Reed were a married couple that had seperated each wanted to be a administrator over their dead son's estate. Iowa's law stated that "males must be preferred to females", which was ruled to be unconstitutional. This case led to a less segregated United States, especially when concerning property rights. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
In this Supreme Court case, Bakke was a white man who was denied admission to the University of California medical school, even though his test scores and credentials were significantly higher than those of the minorities. The Court ruled that the University's quotas for minority students were unconstitutional. This case was the first to interrupt the push for affirmative action in schools, and was the subject many protests that claimed the US was starting to segregate public facilities again. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This Supreme Court case ruled that a Georgia law classifying homosexual sex as illegal sodomy was constitutional because there was no constitutionally protected right to do so. This decision was overruled by another case, Lawrence v. Texas in 2003. After this ruling was issued, there was a large backlash from many different groups of people, as it was considered an issue of privacy. This landmark decision in the late 1980's has a direct effect on the numerous protests today for LGBTI rights. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
Signed by George H.W. Bush in 1990, this law requires that employers supply public facilities with "reasonable accomodations" for those with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against them. With the passage of this Act, yet another minority in America is given a law that protects them. This Act is significant because it increases the amount of minorities protected in America. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This Supreme Court decision reversed their earlier ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick. The Court ruled that the Texas law that banned sex between homosexual couple was unconstitutional and that 13 other similar laws were also unconstitutional. This ruling has a direct inpact on many legislational decisions that are going on in today's courts. The right to privacy was directly inforced through this ruling, and many state bans on gay marriage have been lifted, or are being currently appealed. -
Fisher v. Texas
This recent Supreme Court case concerned affirmative action policies at the University of Texas. Similar to Regents of the University of California v Bakke Court case, the Court decided that affirmative action was constitutional, but race should not be a deciding factor. Many people were upset with this case, and feel as if the US is returning to segregation. However, this case is significant because it has shown the leverage that race has in society, and how far institutions go to be "diverse". -
Indiana Gay Rights
Indiana has long banned gay marriage. However, the recent Appeals Court case, Baskin v. Bogan, took presedence over other gay marriage cases, because one of the plantiffs was terminally ill. The Appeals Court has granted a motion of stay of ruling until their case, or others like it, is reviewed by the Supreme Court. These cases and their rulings show a change in America today. The LGBTI community is now seen as a minority in America, and it is yet decided if they will receive minority rights.
