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13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery in the US. It states that slavery AND involuntary servitude is not allowed. The only type of servitude allowed is if it is the punishment of criminals -
14th Amendment
This law clarifies what defines someone as a US citizen. The description includes being born in America makes you a citizen because recently freed slaves born on US soil qualified as citizens. -
Jim Crow Laws
The name of these laws are derived from an offensive idea of how a black man acted, and this character was played by a white man wearing black face which was also very offensive. These laws allowed for segregation of white people and black people in multiple public places. Places like schools, buses, and theaters were seperate buildings for blacks and whites. As anyone could figure the black facilities were not in good condition or as good of a condition as the white facilities. -
15th Amendment
This amendment prohibits federal and state governments from preventing a citizen to vote based on their race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This amendment was needed due to some states not letting black men vote during elections. -
Poll Taxes
Poll taxes started in states of the south. They were enforced for all voters because the government thought that this would keep out all the black men. It was thought that black men couldn't afford to pay these taxes and that is how this method somewhat worked to keep out black people from voting. -
Literacy Tests
Literacy tests was another obstacle state governments used to keep out black men from voitng in elections. These tests tested a potential voter's ability to read and write. It was the common thought or belief that the black men didn't recieve education or not good enough education, so these tests were put in place. -
Plessy v Ferguson
- 30 year old man was arrested for sitting in the “white car” of a train. He was not fully African American but was still considered colored because he was not pure white. This case showed how the 14th amendment, including everyone is made equal, was not being enforced. As a result this case allowed the separation but only if things were made equal.
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19th Amendment
This amendment granted American women the right to Vote! This movement was known as woman suffrage. This amendment was necessary because when the US was founded women weren't given the same rights as the men like voting. -
Equal Rights Amendment
This was a proposed amendment that stated civil rights should not be denied on the basis of one's sex. This proposed amendment was sent out to the states for ratification, but the ERA fell 3 votes short of what was required because not enough states voted yes before the date of June 30, 1982. -
Korematsu v United States
This case occurred during world war two and said that the military could deny the rights of Japanese people. This case was due to the war with the Japanese. -
Sweatt v. Painter
- An African American man applied for an education at the University of Texas Law School but the application was automatically denied because of his race. When he asked the states to admit him because this is not equal the school was forced to make separate facilities but equal facilities to accommodate both races. The school of “The Law School for Negroes” was opened that following year in 1947 but was not at all equal and prevented the colored from participating in the law field.
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Brown v. Board of Education
- African American Children were denied access to public schools with white children. They were denied because they did not have facilities. When they were forced to create facilities for the African American children it was decided that everything would be equal from the buildings all the way to the teachers’ salaries.
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Montgomery Bus Boycotts
The bus boycotts lasted 13 months as a protest to push the subject of integrating buses. This protest ended with the US Supreme Court deciding segregating busses was unconstitutional. -
Affirmative Action
The affirmative action, also known as the positive discrimination, is a policy that makes sure all people have equal opportunities in the work field and the education field. This policy ensures that employers don’t discriminate against race or gender etc. -
24th Amendment
This amendment struck down all previous laws or policies that issued a poll tax. IT was ruled unconstitutional to make a citizen pay to vote for elected officials. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was a landmark piece of legislature for the civil rights movement. This act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed and enforced due to some state government STILL not allowing black men to vote. The Voting Rights Act was made to try and overcome all obstacles that some states put in place for voting like poll taxes and literacy tests. -
Robert Kennedy's Speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
Robert's speech was about the grieving of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. His speech was given in Indianapolis, Indiana because he was going around the country giving speeches to earn him the democratic presidential nomination. He felt the urge to give this impromptu speech due to the sudden murder of MLK. -
Reed v. Reed
Males were more preferred rather than females. When this became a problem Cecil and Sally Reed both lost their son and wanted to be the administer in their sons business. They were both tried in court. -
Regents of the University of California v Bakke
- A thirty five white male applied for the University of California for medical school but was denied multiple times. It was then revealed that he was denied because of race. Minorities were being accepted based on the fact that the schools had to have more minorities. The school was denying people because of race not because of their test scores or abilities.
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Bowers v. Hardwick
- Michael Hardwick was observed by a police officer while having consensual homosexually sodomy with another adult male. He was arrested for criminalized sodomy by the police officer. He challenged the ruling by going trying to go to court but failed to state a claim. The court said it was unconstitutional for the government to dictate who your sexual partner is.
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Americans with Disabilities Act
This act addressed the needs of people who have disabilities. This also prohibits people from discriminating against people with disabilities such as refusing people jobs for example. As a result this gave Americans with disabilities the same rights that the average American citizen has. -
Lawrence v. Texas
This case has a similar situation as Bowers v Hardwick but is different. In this case there was a weapon disturbance call and the police officer found two men having consensual homosexual sex. The court in the end said that it was constitutional for the government to dictate who your sexual partner is. -
Fisher v. Texas
Abigail N Fisher was not ranked in the top ten percent of her graduating class in high school and colleges said that they would automatically accept the top ten percent in the applicant’s high school. She claimed that the reason she was denied to the University of Texas was based on race. This was not true so the court did not decide with her on the situation. -
Indiana's Gay Rights Court Battle
Indiana originally said that it is unconstitutional to deny a homosexual couple to get married so as a result homosexuals were able to get married that day. Later on that year the case Baskin v Bogan affected this decision making the ruling staying a pending appeal.
