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JIm Crow
"Jim Crow" came to personify the system of goverment-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the Unites States. The laws that were known as the Jim Crow Laws were racial segregation State and local laws enacted after the Reconstruction period in the Southern United States. Mandated de jure racial segregation in all Southern public facilities. -
13th Amendment
The thirteenth amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States. This amendment provides that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction." it was passed at the end of the Civil War before the Southern states had been restored to the union. This amendment is "a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery." -
14th Amendment
Addresses many aspects of citizenship and rights of citzens. Most frequently litigated from this amendment is the phrase "equal protection of laws." This amendment protected court cases such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Roe vs. Wade, and Reed vs. Reed. This amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born in or naturalized in the United States." -
15th Amendment
This amendment prohibits the federal and state government's from denying a citizen vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments. Despite this Amendment, in the late 1870's, discrimination against African American voters was still being done." -
Poll Taxes
Payment of a poll tax was a prerequisite to registration for voting in the United States. The tax emerged in some states of the United States in the late 19th century as part of the Supreme Court laws. After the 15th Amendment was passed, a number of stated used poll taxes in spite of the Amendment. It was used as a device for restricting voting rights once again. The poll tax requirements applied to whites as well as blacks, and also adversely affected poor citizens. -
Literacy Tests
Tests administered by the Government to prospective voters to test the literacy of the, before they could vote. Intended to disenfranchise African-Americans. They were used to keep people of color and sometimes poor whites from voting. They were discretely administered by the officials in charge of voter registration. many believe that these tests were created with failure in mind. -
Plessy vs Ferguson
The Plessy VS Ferguson case was decided in 1896. This case decided on is it constitutinal to be racially segregated. "Separate but Equal."The decision was 7 to 1 with the majority going to Justice Henry Brown. A man named Homer Plessy sat in a Jim Crow car which broke the Louisianna law. They rejected that Plessys argument that his constitutional rights were violated. The court said is "implies merely a legal destinction." -
19th Amendment
This Amendment guarntees all American women the right to vote. several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Women started to protest, and picket and much more in the 1800's. But it was not until 1920 that women got what they wanted. -
Korematsu vs United States
IN 1944 the united states was in a world war and felt the need to put all the japaneese into camps. They felt that because they might be spys or sneaking illegal things into the county. So the united states made a law that had all the ancestry of the japaneese and all the people go into camps. Korematsu suied the united states saying it was against his legal rights to put him into a camp. the peopel of the us did not feel safe and the case was voted 6-3 United States. -
Sweatt vs Painter
Inb 1946 a black man named Heman Sweatt applied for admission to the University of Texas Law School.His applicatinon was denied becasue of his race. When Sweatt asked the state courts to order his admision the university attempted to say the separate but equal for the facilities for black law students. In a unanimous decision the court held up the clause and said that Sweatt will be able to attend school there. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Black children were denied admission to schools attended by white children. The decision was voted 9-0 against. The courts voted that "separate but equal" for public schools was unconstitutional. Linda Browns, who was 9 at the time, attended the schools in Topeka, Kansas. Her enrollment in the school was blocked at the time. This led to desegregation in the US educational system. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a 13 month mass protest that ended with the U.S Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. This event was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was an African-American woman, who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. In result, she was arrested and fined. Though her hearing lasted 381 days, this is what started the Montgomery Bus Boycott and solved this problem. -
Affirmative Action
Affirmative action" was first used in the United States and was signed by President John F. Kennedy on 6 March 1961. It was used to promote actions that achieve non-discrimination. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive order which required government employers to take "affirmative action" to "hire without regard to race, religion and national origin". In 1967, sex was added to the anti-discrimination list. -
24th Amendment
Ended mandatory poll taxes that presented a lot of African-Americans "the right of U.S. citizens to vote in any primary or other election for president or vice president and so forth" although after this amendment was ratified, a few states such as mississippi, Texas, and Alabama still hung on to and enforced poll taxes. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discriminatoin based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segreagation in schools and in the work place. The bill was called for by John F. Kennedy in his Cilvil Rights speech and was accomplished in 1964. This act was to aim towards a less segregated and discriminant country and for those that had rights stripped from them to slowly start gaining them back. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
By 1965, many efforts had been made to break disenfranchisement but had only modestly achieved. The bill was signed by president Johnson after he had made a strong statement for this act and began having hearings for it. This act applied a nationwide prohibition against the denial or abridgement of the right to vote. -
Robert Kennedy speech in Indianapolis upon death of MLK
Given in Indianapolis. Kennedy was the United States senator from New York. Attended a rally in the heart of Indianapolis. Instead of the the campaign he was supposed to give, he spoke about the assassination of MLK and it was considered to be one of the greatest publiv addresses of the Modern Era. -
Reed vs Reed
The Idaho Probate Code specified that "males must be preferred to females." In the death of the son of Sally and Cecil Reed they sought to be named the administrator of their sons estate. The parents were both separated. According to the probate code sally challened the rule in court. The courts voted 7-0 against. They decided that the laws dissimilar treatment of men and woman was unconstitutional. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment is also known as the ERA. The ERA was introduced in 1923 but it was passed in the 1970’s. There are 3 sections in the ERA. Section 1 is no one shall be denied by the United States. Section 2 is no congress shall have power to enforce the envisions of the article. Section 3 is this amendment shall take place 2 years after ratification. -
Regents of the University of California vs Bakke
Allan Bakke applied to the Unversity of California Medical School at Davis. He applied there both times and was rejected, both times. He was a 35 year old white man. All of his scores and tests exceeded the schools normal scores. He first went to state courts then to the supreme court. 5 votes to Bakke, 4 votes against. Therfore he was then admitted into Davis. -
Bowers vs Hardwick
MIcheal Hardwick was cought sodomizing with another adult in his own home. He was charged with criminal sodomizing which is illegal in the state of Georgia. Hardwick failed in the federal discrict court so he went to the court of appeals. They reversed the opinion and he went to the supreme court. The decision was 5 to 4 Bowers. They said that is was okay to commit sodomy and there are no constitutional protections against sodomy. -
American with Disabilities Act
This Act was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 but later was changed in 2009.This act is to include both mental and physical medical conditions.The ADA is a civil right law that prohibits discrimination of persons with disabilities. THis act will make employers provide reasonable accomodations to people with disabilities. Gender is excludede in the definition on disability. -
Lawrence vs Texas
This case was about 2 men who were havingh a sexual affair. The cops were called to the house of john lawrence and they saw him and anothe adult man having sex. They were arrested due to having imtimate sexual conduct which is illegal in Texas. The case went 6-3 lawrence and taylor. They used the 14 amendment clause and due process. -
Fisher vs Texas
in 1997 the university of texas was required to admit all high school seniors who were ranked in the top ten percent of thier high school classes. Then the law changed so they would look at racwe as a factor before they amdited people. A high school student applied to the university of texas and did not get accepted so she filed suit against them. The votes were 7-1 fisher. The 14th amendment saved her. -
Indiana Gay Rights Court Battle
Indiana made a law in the summer that gay rights were legal nd that you could get married to your gay spouse. But it was quickley appealed because of on person on the courts in indiana. They rejected it and sent it back. Now gay rights are illegal in indiana and that you cannot get married in indiana.
