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Dred Scott v. Sanford
An enslaved black man, Dred Scott, sued for his freedom because his residence was in a free territory. Considered the worst decision of the Supreme Court, it ruled that enslaved people were not United States citizens, so they could not expect protection from the federal government or from the courts. The Supreme court also states that Congress had no authority to ban slavery from a Federal territory. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was a part of the reconstruction, forbidding chattel slavery across the U.S., aside from criminal punishment. This was the final answer to the longstanding debate over slavery in America. Indentured servitude and peonage were also considered illegal. This set free many people who had not previously been citizens protected by the government. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people that became free under the 13th Amendment. After the Civil War, this was one of the three reconstruction amendments. But, this amendment only extended to the federal government and did not cover the states violating individuals rights, or protect other black citizens. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote. While they gained the right to vote, many things were put in place to prevent them to vote like literacy tests and grandfather clauses in order to disenfranchise black voters. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case established the "separate but equal" doctrine of the Jim Crow era and inquired into the meaning of the 14th amendment's equal protection clause. It came after a man who was 7/8 african american was asked to move in a train car and refused. It was the judicial precedent until Brown v Board. -
19th Amendment
This amendment gave women the right to vote after a lengthy struggle. The ratification did not ensure full enfranchisement, as many minorities were excluded and remained unable to vote because of discriminatory state voting laws. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a landmark case for the Supreme Court, ruling that separating children in school on the basis of race was unconstitutional. This was the end of legalized segregation and overturned the "separate but equal" decision in Plessy v Ferguson. -
24th Amendment
This amendment abolished and forbit the federal and state governments from imposing taxes on voters for federal elections. This helped many minority groups become enfranchised and gain the real right to vote without barriers. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This amendment prohibited discrimination throughout the US on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, especially in hiring, promoting, and firing at work. This ended the application of Jim Crow laws in the south and was eventually expanded by Congress. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act removed race-based restrictions on voting. It was enacted to outlaw things like literacy tests and enforce the 15th amendment more thoroughly, especially in the south. It changed the relationship between the federal and state governments in the area of voting after the Reconstruction. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This amendment provides for a legal remedy against any kind of sex discrimination. It clarifies the legal status of sex discrimination for the courts and sex would be considered a suspect classification. -
Title IX
It states that no one should be excluded from the participation, benefits or discriminated in any school on the basis of sex, especially in sports and extracurriculars. This was a huge step for women in athletics, advancing many women's sports and allowing women to break in to the sports world. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
This court case declared affirmative action to be constitutional, yet outlawed the use of racial quotas. A medical student who had been denied twice due to reserved spaces for minority applicants sued under the basis of racial discrimination, but the courts did not side with him. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
This Supreme Court case established that there was no constitutional protection for acts of sodomy, and therefore these acts could be outlawed by the states. This stripped the right away from same-sex couples and stated that it was constitutional to criminalize same-sex sexual acts. -
Americans With Disabilities Act
This act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday public life. This includes employment, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services. -
Shelby County v. Holder
This case held that section 4 of the voting rights act was unconstitutional. It imposed burdens that were no longer responsive to the current conditions of the voting districts. The court held the formula should be federally reviewed because it was outdated. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
This decision ruled that the 14th amendment requires all states to license marriages between same-sex couples and to recognize all marriages that were lawfully performed out of state. This protected same-sex couples and their rights.