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Dred Scott v Stanford
Dred Scott. formerly enslaved man in Missouri, went to Illinois whereby law, he was a free man. His former owner argued that no black or formerly enslaved person could be a citizen of any state because they were considered property. This case was to decide whether any black person and formerly enslaved person could be considered a citizen of a state. The verdict was decided a year from when the case was argued, stating that a negro enslaved or free, couldn't be a citizen in any state. -
13th Amendment
Abolished Slavery in the US in 1865, by a two-thirds majority this Amendment was signed into law. However, without the reelection of Lincoln which was supported by Union victories, this may have not been added into the constitution. -
14th Amendment
Ratified in 1868, the 14th amendment granted citizenship to people born or naturalized in the US, also guaranteeing "equal protection of the law" to all citizens. Also authorized government to punish states who participated in insurrection by reducing the amount of representation they have within voting as well as preventing them from holding office (without approval of congress). -
15th Amendment
Granted voting rights to black men after the Civil War. However because of other regulations, practices, and restrictions black men could not freely vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine to the practice of segregation, ruling that the practice didn't violate any laws nor the laws of the 14th amendment. -
19th Amendment
19th Amendment granted women's voting rights, ratiefied on August 18th, 1920. However despite the passage of this amednment, black women were still, due to restrictions, local laws, and regulations, unable to vote; This did not change until at least 40 years later by the Voting Rights Act. -
Voter ID Laws
By 1980, four other states had passed similar laws, and by 2000, the total number of states with nonstrict voter ID laws had increased to 14. -
Brown v Board of Education Topeka
Brown v Board of Education ended segregation in schools and was a case decision long fought for by the NAACP to challenge Jim Crow laws and fight for ending racial discrimination within the U.S., marking a new era of judicial activism and civil rights leadership. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is a set of policies and procedures that benefit marginalized groups. Most often seen in use in college admissions when gathering information on an applicant applying to college and when they take the applicant(s)' race into factor. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964 essentially banned segregation but explicitly prohibits segregation on grounds of race, religion, or national origin, at all places of public accommodation. This Act outlawed the practice of businesses denying service to people based on race and outlawed serving whites only policy for businesses. -
24th Amendment
24th amendment abolished poll taxes on a citizen before a citizen could vote in an election. Prohibited federal and state governments from doing this. This amendment was passed in response to southern states policies that limited African Americans voting representation after the civil war. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Aimed to overcome the voting barriers and regulations against voting that were imposed on African Americans on a state and local level. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Aimed to provide legal equality for both genders and prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex. Was first proposed by the National Woman’s political party in 1923. -
Title IX
Most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law which prohibits sex-based discrimination or any other education program that is funded by the federal government. The law was initially enacted to stop male-dominated academic disciplines from excluding or discriminating against women. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Ruled on affirmative action in college admissions, which upheld affirmative action allowing race to be a factor of many others in admission policy, but invalidated use of racial quotas in college admission. -
Bowers v Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick, legal case, decided on June 30, 1986, in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld (5–4) a Georgia state law banning sodomy. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. -
Shelby v Holder
Shelby County v. Holder was a Supreme Court case that struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ruling gutted the Voting Rights Act by eliminating critical protections from discrimination. -
Obergefell v Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendent of the constituion