Civil Rights Timeline

  • Dred Scott v. Sandford

    Dred Scott v. Sandford
    Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri, after moving to Illinois which was a free state and returning back to Missouri, he claimed to be a free man. The Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and not citizens and therefor did not obtain protection from the federal government.
  • 13th Amendment

    13th Amendment
    The 13th Amendment to the constitution was the formal emancipation proclamation that stated the slavery was illegal in the United States. This amendment was the first of 3 major amendments after the civil war.
  • 14th Amendment

    14th Amendment
    The 14th Amendment states that no state shall deprive and person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Another component of the 14th Amendment is that all people born in the United States are citizens. This was the second of the 3 significant Amendments to the US Constitution after the Civil War.
  • 15th Amendment

    15th Amendment
    The 15th Amendment stated that you could not deny a person the right to vote passed on their skin color. This was the third of the 3 important Amendments passed after the Civil War.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Plessy v. Ferguson
    Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that state mandated segregation laws did not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and that separate but equal was allowed.
  • 19th Amendment

    19th Amendment
    The 19th Amendment made it so that any citizen regardless of gender had the right to vote. This Amendment is what gave women the right to vote.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, overturning the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • 24th Amendment

    24th Amendment
    The 24th Amendment forbids federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes. This amendment is important because it helps remove disenfranchisement for African Americans.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    In 1964, Congress passed The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This Act can be implemented when hiring or firing employees.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Voting Rights Act of 1965
    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed Congress and helped African Americans register to vote and banned tactics that were designed to keep them from the polls.
  • Affirmative Action

    Affirmative Action
    Affirmative action is when employers and universities consider race when hiring an employee or accepting a student in admissions. Affirmative action was allowed following the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
  • Equal Rights Amendment

    Equal Rights Amendment
    The Equal Rights Amendment provided legal remedy against sex discrimination for both women and men.
  • Title IX

    Title IX
    Title IX forbids sex-based discrimination in public schools and programs, ensuring that boys and girls have access to the same resources and equipment.
  • Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

    Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
    This case upheld affirmative action, allowing colleges and universities to consider race as a factor in the admissions policy.
  • Bowers v. Hardwick

    Bowers v. Hardwick
    This case ruled that the Constitution does not protect the right of gay adults to engage in homosexual sex
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act
    The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in areas including employment and transportation.
  • Voter ID Laws

    Voter ID Laws
    Voter ID laws allow states to require a government issued photo ID when casting a ballot on election day.
  • Shelby County v. Holder

    Shelby County v. Holder
    This case found that section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional by eliminating critical protections and discrimination putting decade old tactics back into effect.
  • Obergefell v. Hodges

    Obergefell v. Hodges
    Obergefell v. Hodges made it so that states must recognize same-sex marriage due to the 14th Amendment