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Dred Scott lived in Missouri as a slave. He resides in Illinois from 1833-1843 with his master, upon which he filed a suit stating that living in a free state made him a free man. The Supreme Court ruled that the laws only applied to citizens of the US, thus a slave had no standing to sue in court in the first place.
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The 13th Amendment states that slavery and servitude is now deemed illegal within the United States or its jurisdiction except as punishment of due conviction. This exceeded the Emancipation Proclamation made during the Civil War, as now slavery was banned for Union States as well. This amendment occurred at the start of the reconstruction period after the civil war, and was countered by Jim Crow laws in the southern states.
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Granted Citizenship to all persons either born or nationalized within the United States. This gave all citizens equal protection under the laws of the United States as well, effectively neutralizing the Dred Scott v Sanford decision.
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Another reconstruction Amendment, this time guaranteeing black men the right to vote. The further consecrated African Americans as citizens of the US, and lent itself to voter intimidation in Southern States.
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Landmark Supreme Court case that established the "separate but equal" doctrine. Homer Plessy refused to sit on a 'black' train car, in which he was arrested for violating the law The Supreme Court ruled that implying a legal distinction between white and blacks was not unconstitutional. This case set a precedent that allowed Southern States to create Jim Crow laws and separate accommodations justifiably.
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"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
This amendment affirmed to women the right to vote, which was a right citizens had fought for since the early 1700s -
White primaries were another means for Southern States to exclude minority voters, in which only whites were allowed to choose candidates for election. This practice was struck down in Texas under both the equal protections clause, as well as a statue stating that primaries could not exclude those outside of a state political party. This practice occurred between 1890 to 1932, until struck down in courts.
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-15/section-1-2/the-white-primary] -
Landmark court case from the 1950's civil rights movement that led to the decision that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Seen as a substantial step towards equal rights, this case was one of the first major wins that the civil rights movement saw. Unfortunately, southern states such as Virginia still attempted to keep segregation intact, upon which federal MP officers were deployed.
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Affirmative Action first came to be when it was signed into law by John F. Kennedy in 1961. This was created "to ensure that applicants are treated equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.", thereby also creating the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Over the next 40 years affirmative action was employed and amended in order to expand opportunities for minorities, however certain aspects have been deemed unconstitutional (especially regarding education).
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During the reconstruction, poll taxes are introduced as a way to disenfranchise minority and impoverished voters from participating in democracy. Whereas a small tax was no matter to white adults, those of lesser status often were forfeit their vote due to this discriminatory practice. This continued to occur until roughly 1964, when the 24th amendment prohibited all poll taxes.
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This amendment prevented the use of poll taxes in denying votes for state and national representatives. Poll taxes were yet another way to suppress votes of African Americans. In creating this amendment, the majority spoke; by stating that votes are an essential, non-exclusive aspect of our democracy.
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 attempted to create an 'equal playing field' on the jobs market. It created guidelines that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex and race in hiring, promoting, and firing. This act was signed by Lyndon B Johnson with the support of Martin Luther King Jr., Hubert Humphrey, and Everett Dirksen.
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This act was meant to enforce the 15th amendment, which guaranteed black men the right to vote. Whereas this right had now been extended to women as well, many Southern states had created means to stifle black votes, such as literacy tests as a prerequisite. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended this practice, marking a huge step in racial equality
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Supreme Court case that ruled dissimilar treatment of men and women unconstitutional. According to Idaho's probate code, males are to be preferred to females. When the Reed's son died, the separated parents both sought ownership of his estate. The father was a male, and he was thereby granted the estate. Sally Reed challenged this in court.
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This amendment was intended to suspend distinction between men and women on civil matters such as divorce and property. It was originally proposed to Congress in 1923, and had generated backlash over the decades since it challenged alimony, drafting, divorce custody, and imbalanced protections for women in labor law. The amendment only passed in 30 of the 38 states in 1973, meaning it did not pass. However it is still an amendment in contention today.
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Supreme Court case that ruled racial quotas in college admissions were unconstitutional, but affirmative action was constitutional in some cases. This occurred when a white student was denied entrance into the University of California's medical school, as a number of the seats in the class had been reserved for those of another race.
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Michael Hardwick was observed by a Georgia police officer engaging in homosexual relations with another individual in his home, and was arrested and charged with sodomy. When appealed to the Supreme Court, they ruled against Hardwick; believing that guaranteeing a right to sodomy would produce "judge-made constitutional law", which goes past the constitutional right of the courts.
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The ADA is one of the final broad anti-discriminatory legislations that saw changes in "several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services." (Department of Labor). This Act was signed into law by George H.W. Bush for businesses with 15 or more employees in order to create a more fair and competitive job market
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Landmark Supreme Court decision in which homosexual behavior became protected under the due process clause. When police responded to an alleged weapons disturbance in Lawrence's home, they caught him having sexual intercourse with another man, which was deviant behavior under Texas Law. Because Lawrence and garner are free adults, they have the right to exercise their liberty to privacy, making the Texas Law unconstitutional
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The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that gay marriage is federally protected under the Due Process clause and the Fourteenth Amendment. All couples have a fundament right to liberty, and thereby to marry who they please. As this case is so recent, it is still unfortunately in question of being overturned, despite the majority of the public being in favor of it.
