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Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave who resided in the free state of Illinois. He went back to Missouri, where he previously lived, in order to claim his freedom. His owner said that he couldn't become a citizen because of his descent. The court agreed with Scott's master and said that just because he moved to a free state, doesn't mean that he is emancipated. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment abolished the use of poll tax and gave the right for all citizens to vote on elections despite failing to pay poll or any other taxes. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment states that slavery and involuntary solitude is illegal in the United States. It was ratified under President Lincoln. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment allowed all people born on American soil to be a citizen and have certain right that cannot be taken away from the state and federal government. All citizens are granted "equal protection of the laws". -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment states that no US citizen shall be denied the right to vote based of race, color, or previous work. It granted African American men the right to vote. Although even after the amendment was passed, many polls made it extremely hard for Africans Americans to actually cast their vote. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes was when polls required and additional fee for people to vote. This targeted African Americans as many poor white Americans were subject to the Grandfather clause and weren't required to pay if they voted prior to the civil war. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a court case in which Plessy, a black American, tried to enter and sit in one of the white train cars. The cars were separated for blacks and white and Plessy was arrested as he refused to leave the white car. The court did not vote in his favor and said that there was no real different between the quality of the cars so it was still constitutional. -
White Primaries
Favored in Texas, the White Primaries was used to prohibit non-white Americans in voting and joining political parties. This was specifically aimed at Mexican Americans. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment states that people shall not be turned down to vote on a basis of sex. This allowed women to vote and was a result of the suffrage movement. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to guarantee equality regardless of a person's sex. It was never ratified and people still advocate for it toady. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a court case where the issue of segregation of schools was argued. Despite the precedent that Plessy v. Ferguson created, it was decided that segregation in schools based solely off race was in violation of the equal rights clause in the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action refers to favoring a group of people who have been discriminated against in the past. This applied is school and work environments and includes offering special opportunities to them that others may not get. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 stopped discrimination based off of color, race, nationality, and gender. It also prohibited these factors to be reason for hiring, firing, and promoting in the work place. This act applied to the public as well as government funded programs. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited the discriminatory practices that were pushed upon African Americans at voting polls to prevent them from voting. These include literacy tests and other requirements that made it significantly harder for African Americans to vote. -
Reed v. Reed
Reed v. Reed was the court case that addressed the issue of men being favor over women. When the Reed's son died, the father was given the son's property over the mom. The court ruled that it was unconstitutional to favor one gender over the other because of the 14th Amendment. -
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a court case where a white man who was rejected from a university twice sued because the school had kept 16 spots open for minorities. The court said that having a specific quota was unconstitutional but affirmative action was okay in some cases. -
Bowers v. Hardwick
Bowers v. Hardwick was a court case where Hardwick was found participating in consensual homosexual sodomy and said it was unconstitutional for him to be punished. The court said that it was up to the states to decided how to handle it because there was nothing in the constitution about it. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination of people that have disabilities in public areas including the workplace, transportation, and schools. It was put in place to guarantee that individuals with disabilities are given the same opportunities and are treated that same way that people without disables are. -
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas was a criminal case similar to Bowers v. Hardwick which dealt with same-sex relationships. The court ruled that Texas saying that same-sex relations are a crime violates the Due Process clause. It also says that the states has no authority in controlling people's lives in private. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Obergefell v. Hodges was the court case that made same-sex marriage legal in the US. The court said because of the Due Process Clause it give people the right to marry who they wanted which applies to same-sex relationships as they are basically the same as opposite sex relationships.
