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Dred Scott v. Sandford
A slave named Dred Scott wanted freedom after his master died, but his master’s wife refused, even though they were living in a free state. Dred Sued his master’s wife, Irene, to gain his family’s freedom. After several court cases with differing opinions, they eventually decided at the Supreme Court that Dred Scott would not get his freedom. However, in 1857, his new owner gave him his freedom, just a year before his death. -
13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The 13th amendment is one of the three reconstruction amendments after the end of the Civil War. -
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Amendments
A period of frequent amendments to the constitution. -
14th Amendment
The fourteenth amendment states that “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” -
15th Amendment
This amendment states that a person’s right to vote shall not be infringed or held from them because of their skin color, race, or previous condition of servitude. -
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White Primaries
Voting sessions held in the south in which only white people were allowed to vote -
Please v. Ferguson
This case upheld the “separate but equal” mindset, stating that color coded bathrooms and other facilities were constitutional as long as the corresponding areas were equal in quality. -
19th Amendment
The right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of a person’s sex. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment guaranteed equal legal rights for everyone, regardless of their sex. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a landmark Supreme Court case in which it was decided that recalls segregation in schools was unconstitutional and forbidden. -
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Affirmative Action
In the context of the allocation of resources or employment, is the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment says that a person cannot be prevented from voting for president, Vice President, congressman, or senator because of a failure to pay a tax or poll tax. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaws discrimination based on sex, race, gender, color, or religion. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prohibits racial discrimination in the voting process. -
Poll Taxes
Taxes enacted to prevent African Americans from having an easy time voting. -
Reed v. Reed
This was an equal protection case, one stating that the administrators of estates cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Yet another landmark case ruling in favor of segregation, this case ruled that allowing race to be a factor in college admission processes was constitutional. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This case ruled that a Georgia State law that said sodomy between two consenting adults was illegal was in fact a constitutional law, but was later overturned. The case was ruled 5-4. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This Act was put in place to prevent companies and facilities from discriminating based upon a person’s own disabilities, be those physical or mental. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This case ruled that any law prohibiting homosexual sex between to consenting adults in private was unconstitutional and to be taken down. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Arguably one of the most influential cases in American history, this case ruled that all fifty states must recognize homosexual marriage, and that it was from then on legal.