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Dred Scott v. Sandford
In a court case between Dred Scott and John Sandford, it was ruled that anyone that was a slave or a descendant of one, was not a citizen of the United States. It was an impactful decision because that meant they didn't have any rights or liberties. -
13th Amendment
Emancipation was declared. Slavery and other forms of involuntary servitude were made illegal in the US. It was a pivotal point in the US, as there were now millions more free people in America. This also began the majority of the civil rights movements for African Americans. -
14th Amendment
The basis of the 14th Amendment was equal protection. It sparked the ability for African Americans to fight for their equality. It also prevented states from going against the constitution and making laws that would interfere with the rights given to the people. -
15th Amendment
The ability to vote. The passing of the amendment illegalized the discrimination of race, color, or previous servitude on the basis of voting for elections. While this was a step in the right direction, people still found other ways to make sure people of color weren't allowed to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case ruled that separate but equal was constitutional under the 14th Amendment. It allowed segregation as long as the segregated spaces were of equal standard. This was decided based on the Separate Car Act. It put back the civil rights movement for African Americans because it made it difficult to fight for non-segregated spaces. -
19th Amendment
This amendment outlawed the discrimination against sex in voting polls, allowing for women to vote. After decades of struggle to gain women's suffrage, it was a huge step in securing equal rights for women. However, there were still struggles with women of minority. -
Brown v. Board of Education
A huge milestone for African American civil rights, it was deemed unconstitutional for children to go to segregated schools. While it ended segregated schools legally, there was still a fight to enforce this, and keep children safe while integrating the schools together. -
Affirmative Action
It's a program designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination. It first came about in an executive order from President Kennedy that aimed towards employee applications and equal employment. This is a move towards equality in the fight for civil rights for everyone, not just one minority. -
24th Amendment
This amendment eradicated poll taxes, another method that had been used to control who could vote. While it helped to get rid of disenfranchisement, it still did not get rid of it completely. Other methods such as literary tests and the grandfather clause persisted in order to continue controlling polls. -
Civil Rights Act
This act prohibited the discriminations of people based on color, race, sex, religion, or natural origin. It also specifically prohibits the discrimination of these when hiring or firing people. It prohibited the discrimination in public and any federal programs. It helped to further voting rights and pushed the desegregation of schools. -
Voting Rights Act
This act outlawed many of the methods southerners used to control the demographic of who was voting after the Civil War. This included literary tests. This advancement urged on the equality of voter rights and the ability for more people to vote, and through a section of the act, any new voting pre-requisites had to be approved. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The amendment, proposed by leaders of the women's suffrage movement, would completely prohibit sex discrimination. The goal was to level the playing field for everyone no matter their sex. It was a reaction to the 14th amendment when the equal protection clause didn't include women. -
Title IX
This Amendment effects all federal funded schools or other education programs in the way that it prohibits discrimination based on sex. This was a step in the right direction for sex equality and making a difference in women's education. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This case decided that colleges and universities were not allowed to have admissions criteria based on race. It was also ruled that having a racial quota was unconstitutional as it violated the equal protection clause from the 14th Amendment. -
Voter ID Laws
36 states have laws requiring some form of identification at voting polls in order to cast your vote. It it argued to lessen voter fraud but there's little fraud to begin with. The laws just serve to make it harder for people without IDs such as poorer people less likely to vote. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This was a case over a homosexual man having consensual relations with another man in his own home that sparked the debate over whether sodomy should be legal. Georgia had a law against it and the supreme court ruled that the states could outlaw practices of sodomy. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
The act is a civil rights law the prevents discrimination of people based on any disability they may have. This includes transportation, jobs, school, and more. The intent is to allow people with disabilities to have equal rights and opportunities as everyone else. -
Shelby County v. Holder
This case resulted in an overturning of a section of the Voting Rights Act. The part that was changed was the section that required states to send any new legislation over voting restrictions to the Department of Justice so it can be approved. This now allowed states to pass voter laws without approval and protected minorities' voting rights less -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The lifting of bans that were state laws that prohibited same-sex marriage. The laws violated the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment. The court ruled same-sex marriages a "fundamental liberty." This was a huge step for LGBTQ rights and furthered the fight to more equal rights and protection.