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Dred Scott V. Sandford
The Supreme court case of Dred Scott V. Sandford was the argument of whether or not African Americans were included in the constitution whether or not they were freed. This would be an important case because it was one of the first supreme court cases that involved racial injustice. The significance of the case was that it decided whether or not African Americans and minorities were included in the constitution and whether or not they counted as freed persons. -
13th Amendment
On december 18th 1865, the thirteenth amendment was adopted as part of the US constitution and immediately freed more that 100,000 people. This was due to the outcome of the civil war which is what lead to the abolishment of slavery. The significance of the 13th Amendment was that it freed more than 100,000 people. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment was ratified in 1868 and granted citizenship to all persons who were either born or naturalized in the United States, which included former slaves and guaranteed all citizens equal protection of the laws. The significance of the 14th Amendment was that it guaranteed equal protection for all peoples. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment was put in place to guarantee african-American the right to vote and to allow African Americans to take part in running for office. The significance of the 15th amendment was that it allowed minorities to take part in running for office and guarantees minorities the right to vote. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
It was a supreme court case that upheld the separate but equal doctrine in the highest court of law. This would mean that segregation was perfectly legal at this point in American history. The significance was that even though minorities had been freed from slavery, they still weren't being treated as equals and wouldn't be for another 60+ years. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The nineteenth amendment was that the right of the citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by any state on account of sex. This amendment was important because it created more equality between men and women and was the first time in history women were allowed to vote The significance of the 19th Amendment was that it allowed women to take part in one of the major parts of being an American, and allowed America to take a big leap towards equality. -
White Primaries
White primaries were primary elections held in the southern United States in which only white voters were permitted to participate. The significance of white primaries were that the states restricted African Americans and other minorities from voting in primary elections which wouldn't allow minority voters to vote for their candidate in the general election. -
Brown V. Board of Education
The Brown V. Board of Education was an important supreme court case because it struck down the Plessy V. Ferguson case which meant that "Separate but equal" was in fact unconstitutional and was a step towards equality. The significance is that it was one of the first giant leaps America took towards equality for minorities. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is the favoring of peoples belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously in history. This means that minorities get into college easier just because they had been previously discriminated against throughout history. This is significant because equality can not happen if a certain race sex etc. is being favored over another, no matter what happened previously throughout history. -
Civil Rights Act
The civil rights act prohibits the discrimination when it comes to race, sex, religion, or country of origin. This act also said that it was not allowed to discriminate when hiring, promoting, etc. As well. The importance of the civil rights act was that it made it illegal for the states to discriminate peoples based upon their race, color, etc. which made America more free for all peoples. -
Poll Tax
Citizens in states had to pay a fee to vote in the national election in a few states and this was called a poll tax. In 1964 the United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the constitution which prohibited any poll tax in elections for for federal officials. The significance was that the poll tax made the less fortunate unable to vote which is one of the most important part of being an American, the right to vote. -
Voting Rights Act
The voting rights act of 1965 was an act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. This outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the civil war which included literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. The significance was that it made voting easier and more equal than ever for all persons. Which made the United States more freer and more equal for all persons. -
Reed V. Reed
The Reed V. Reed supreme court case was the first supreme court case to declare sex discrimination a violation of the 14th amendment. This court case said that selecting state administrators based on sex was a violation of the equal protection clause. This is significant because it had a major impact on the equality between men and women and was a decision that allowed for total equality like we have today. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The equal rights act was proposed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It was to close the gaps between men and women and make them equal. The significance was that for the first time in American history that men and women were equal from a legal standpoint. -
Regents of the University of California V. Bakke
The supreme court case between the University of California V. Bakke was important because it upheld affirmative action allowing race to be a factor when admitting students into college. This would be a landmark case because it would empower discrimination of minorities in the 1970's but would allow colleges to favor minorities to look good in our current political climate. The significance is that it allowed colleges to apply race when accepting applicants which allowed them to discriminate. -
Bowers V. Hardwick
The Bowers V. Hardwick case ruled that the constitution does not protect the right of homosexuals to engage in private which continued the discrimination of gay men. The significance is that it prolonged the discrimination of homosexual men until that was changed very recently and created more hardships for gay men who wanted to marry. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities act prohibited discrimination against citizens with disabilities in areas such as employment, transportation, communications, etc. This was significant because it impacted alot of disabled citizens including military veterans etc. and made America more compatible for them. -
Motor Voter Act
The Motor Voter Act was an act that allowed states to create an easier method for voter registration if a person had a viable driver's license. This is significant because it allows for easier access to voting in our present day as well as making it easier for all United States citizens to vote. -
Lawrence v. Texas
The ruling of Lawrence V. Texas affirmed that Texas was allowed to make it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in intimate sexual conduct due to the due process clause. This is significant because it shows that time and time again the Supreme Court wasn't relenting to allow the federal government to legalize gay marriage but instead thought it should be left up to the states. -
Obergefell V. Hodges
Obergefell V. Hodges was a supreme court case that discussed whether or not states had to recognize marriages between same sex couples. The court ruled that states did have to recognize them as married which is important because it was the first time in American history where states legally had to recognize same sex marriages. This is significant because it was a major turning point in American history for same sex marriage and same sex equality.