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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a former slave from Missouri. After spending time in the free state of Illinois he moved back to Missouri and filed a suit that since he was a resident in a free state, he was a free man not a slave. He lost the case in a 7-2 majority that claimed that any black citizen whose ancestors were brought to America as slaves were not American citizens and therefore could not be holding cases in court. The decision upheld slavery and denied black citizens of America legality. -
13th Amendment
The amendment abolished slavery and outlawed involuntary servitude. It was passed at the end of the Civil War before the Southern states were allowed back into the Union. Originally the house did not pass it which required President Lincoln to step in and have it added to the Republican Party platform for the next Presidential election. However, despite that fact that the Amendment made black citizens officially and legally free, they were still being treated like slaves and not free citizens. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to anyone born or who became a citizen in the United States. This amendment was part of the larger reconstruction acts and was monumental because it gave equal protection to formerly enslaved people. However, the amendment was not successful in achieving cultural equality for all. The decision was met with citizens petitions, court cases, legislation, and executive branch attempts to guard all rights. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave Black American men the right to vote. This amendment was the last of the three reconstruction amendments. Immediately following the ratification major cultural changes occurred. In the south, thousands of Black citizens registered to vote and were even able to take on political roles such as local, state, and federal representatives. Yet, there were still challenges put in place to prevent voting such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and voter intimidation. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Plessy v. Ferguson case established the precedent "separate but equal" which allowed racial segregation as long as the accommodations given to each race were equal in value. The case was decided with a 7-1 majority and provided the first majority question about the specifications of the equal protection clause within the 14th amendment.
The case set a standard of discrimination that wouldn't be overturned until half a century later. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment stated that the right of citizens of the United States to vote is not able to be denied on the basis of sex. This amendment guarantees women the right to vote. It also parked a new wave of feminism within the US by sparking interest and empowering women to pursue a broad range of political involvement. Women began gaining roles in political offices while others fought for further women’s equality. This amendment was the first of many women's rights discussions. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board of Education case worked to undo the precedent set in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The case ruled that separating children into different schools based on race was unconstitutional. "Separate but equal" was under the stipulation that both races had equal quality, yet it was found that the race-based schools were unequal. Through tests, it was found that schools for Black children were harmful and had less resources. The court ruled it was not equal nor constitutional, -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment abolished the use of the poll tax in federal elections. This amendment focused on fixing the issues that came from the 15th amendment granting Black American men the right to vote. White citizens put in place measures to prevent Black citizens from voting such as taxes on the ballot and because of disproportionate levels of poverty among Black citizens in the Southern states, many of them were excluded from voting. This amendment aimed to fix this problem. January 23, 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was put in place to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The act covers many different circumstances such as protecting from discrimination in cases of hiring, promoting, and firing. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices that many of the southern states had, including literacy tests to vote. Despite the 15th and 24th amendments, discriminatory rules on voting were still in place. This amendment worked to end those. President Johnson who signed this act in place announced he would initiate lawsuits against four states that still required a poll tax to register on the day he signed the act. Overall this act was critical in voter rights. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment works to end legal distinctions between gender in many fields such as divorce, property, employment, etc. There was a 7-year deadline on the ratification process. Many states ratified the first year but other states proposed or passed rescission bills to slow the process. In 1978 a successful march pressured Congress grant an extension, yet still didn't have numbers. It wasn't until 2020 that the minimum number of ratified states required by Congress was achieved. -
Title IX
Title IX is a part of the Education Amendments of 1972 which protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.Sex discrimination can be in cases such as sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and harassment. On the basis of Title IX schools are required to take action against these crimes and without disciplinary action for students until cases are over. The act ensures all students are treated equally and fairly. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is a set of procedures that aim to eliminate unjust and unlawful discrimination among applicants such as in college admissions or in job hirings. This precedent of affirmative action established in the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case was held by colleges for 40 years until 2023 it was overruled by the Supreme Court. Before colleges were justified to include certain percentages of races, now colleges must find was to diversify without targeting race. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case was brought to the Supreme Court by a white male named Bakke who applied to medical school at UC Davis. His application was rejected because of the school reserved 16 spots for racial minorities. Bakke sued, arguing that the racial quota system was unconstitutional. He lost and the case established and upheld the practice of affirmative action in college admissions, allowing race to be one of several factors in admission policy. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
The Bowers v. Hardwick case ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment does not prevent states from criminalizing private sexual conduct involving same-sex couples. The court stated that such practices were neither "implicit in the concept of ordered liberty" or "deeply rooted in the Nation's history and tradition" which would grant them rights outside of the ones explicitly stated. The ruling of this case was sharply criticized and marked as a defeat for LGBTQIA+ groups. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act established the first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. This act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in cases such as employment, government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, etc. You can see the impact of this act in everyday accommodations such as flat ramp entrances to buildings, transportation vehicles designed to accommodate for disabilities, handicap stalls, and more. -
Shelby County v Holder
The Shelby County v. Holder case is known as the ruling that destroyed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by eliminating critical protections from discrimination. In its decision, the Supreme Court declared Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act constitutionally invalid. It was declared that in 2013 racial voting discrimination was not an issue anymore so therefore regions with a history of discrimination no longer have federal oversight before changing their voting processes. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
The Obergefell v. Hodges case was introduced when groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant states
over refusals to recognize legal same-sex marriage, saying they violated the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the ban and the case made it to the Supreme Court where the right to marry was deemed one of the fundamental liberties. This was a major win for LGBTQ groups who fought for equality. -
Voter ID Laws
Voter ID Laws state that, in states which hold them, people are required to show some form of identification in order to vote. Supporters of the laws believe that Voter ID Laws help to prevent voting fraud and don't cause any real harm because anyone can easily obtain identification. However, these laws are often criticized as targeting certain minorities, usually racially, from voting due to how disproportionally difficult it is for these minorities to obtain said identification.