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Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott Case was a monumental decision-maker. The Supreme Court stated that American citizenship did not extend to African Americans and that African Americans could not sue in federal court. Dred Scott filed a petition to sue for freedom, but it was decided that Scott was property instead of a person. This caused worry in the North, as many feared that slavery would continue to expand as they were heavily against it. The ruling in favor of Sandford also influenced votes for Lincoln. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment finally abolished slavery. At the time, slavery would now only be used as punishment for a crime and was banned in all the states as well as US territories. This amendment took place under President Lincoln. The 13th Amendment was implemented as soon as it was ratified due to it being self-executing, meaning it needed no further implementation from the government. This Amendment also outlawed involuntary servitude and peonage. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment formally named all people born in the United States as citizens of the United States, regardless of skin color. This included anyone who was formally enslaved. The amendment also granted all newly named citizens protection under the equal protection clause. New citizens now had the rights of due process, privileges and immunities, apportionment, punishment for abridging voting rights, as well as previously mentioned equal protection. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. More specifically, it stated that any man could not be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous experience held as a slave or position of servitude. However, this Amendment did not prevent states from imposing additional roadbumps for these newly able men to vote, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and other similar qualifications. Outside of the idea of "qualifying" to vote, violence also occurred in the South. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court case that upheld the doctrine that it was okay for racial segregation to occur in a public facility. Plessy was a man who was classified as 7/8 Caucasian and 1/8 Black. He entered a White passenger car for transportation one day and was told to leave as it was not his "designated" train car. Plessy refused and was arrested for not leaving the vehicle. The ultimately decided SC decision claimed that "separate but equal" was okay. -
Nineteenth Amendment
Women were finally granted the right to vote due to the Nineteenth Amendment. More formally, however, this amendment states that federal and state governments cannot prevent individuals from voting based on sex. Initially, the right to vote being distributed equally to both sexes was announced in 1878 in Congress, yet it took 42 years to actually be ratified. This amendment stayed buried until women and those in support led marches and civil disobedience for representation. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education is arguably one of the most influential court cases ever to graze the United States Supreme Court, in which the decision was made that segregated public school systems violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The decision across the SC was an unanimous vote 9-0. Brown v. Board overturned the decision made in Plessy v. Ferguson that "separate but equal" was constitutional. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment was ratified to eliminate taxes at voting polls. Tax polls were used after the 15th Amendment was ratified to prevent African males from voting freely. During any federal election, the 24th Amendment prevented federal and state governments from imposing these tax polls at election sites. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which prohibits discrimination of individuals based on race, religion, sex, ethnicity, etc., in places such as voting, public utilities, workplaces, education, and federally funded programs. In addition, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which, in the case of discrimination, allows those discriminated against to file a lawsuit. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson to prevent any form of racial discrimination in terms of voting. This law prohibits discrimination against any voter for reasons regarding color, race, or language minority. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also protects voters who may be disabled, blind, or illiterate. This Act added to the termination of poll taxes by prohibiting literacy taxes and assault verbally or physically while voting. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is a policy that was created and funded by the government to try to eliminate any underrepresentation of minority groups in society. Affirmative Action can help these minority groups via employee support programs, targeted recruitment, grants and scholarships, outreach campaigns, and more. President JFK signed the first example of affirmative Action into order - Executive Order 10925. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment that did not get to the ratification process. This Amendment, however, suggested that all citizens in the United States would have equal rights regardless of sex. People worried that too much authority was given to women too quickly, and after Roe v. Wade overturned abortion, the decision took the world by storm. Now, the Equal Rights Amendment actually has received the number for ratification yet sits untouched. -
Title IX
Title IX, while it may not sound like one, is a federal law that was created to end sexual discrimination in all educational environments and activities that occur with federal assistance. This law protects students, teachers, aids, and anyone acting as a parental figure during these sanctions. No person can receive unique benefits, exclusion from, or purposeful discrimination due to their sex. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a Supreme Court case that dealt with allowing or not allowing students admission to colleges based on race. Bakke, a white male, was not being admitted into their medical program because there needed to be room for minorities. The court held that doing so was unconstitutional and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Since being overturned in 2003 via Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court decision in Bowers v. Hardwick ruled that it was unconstitutional for any sexual activity to occur between gay individuals, even in consensual privacy. Hardwick was initially arrested for being observed having consensual sexual relations with another man within his own home. The court believed the Fourteenth Amendment did not prohibit states from having laws against these private relations. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA addresses discrimination against individuals with disabilities and prevents it in various areas of life. This Act was passed so that these individuals could have the same quality of life that someone without a disability would be able to, such as enjoying their participation in the workplace, shopping, and government participation. When it comes to defining a disability, anyone with a physical or mental impairment that impacts living is classified as such. -
Voter ID Laws
Voter ID Laws are laws created to ensure that the ID a person uses while voting is actually their ID. This prevents multiple votes per person, creating a false count or inaccurate results. While laws vary from state to state, most states now require some form of identification prior to one casting their vote, ranging from a government-issued ID to a utility bill or bank statement. These laws are commonly opposed as many claim they can underrepresent some groups or be too costly. -
Shelby County v. Holder
Shelby County v. Holder was a Supreme Court case overturning Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act 1965 as unconstitutional. The Court believed that Section 4(b), which determined if states and local areas violated voting rights via a formula crafted at the time, was outdated. Therefore, this also affected Section 5, and states can now make their voting laws without federal oversight. -
Orbergefell v. Hodges
Orbergefell v. Hodges overturned the decision made in Baker v. Nelson and now requires states to issue marriage licenses to any gay marriages. The case of Orbegefell v. Hodges came into play when Jim Orbergefell sued the state of Ohio for not legally recognizing his marriage to his husband. What took this case to the Supreme Court, however, was the Sixth Circuit ruling that it was constitutional for it to be up to states on whether to ban same-sex marriage.