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14th Amendment
This amendment gave citizenship to former slaves and provides them with equal protection under the law. This amendment was a big deal for the civil rights movement because it granted former slaves basic rights and citizenship. This amendment is used in the argument for LQBTQ+ and women’s rights movements. -
Plessy v Ferguson
This case resulted in the Supreme Courts decision that segregation could be continued, but facilities and amenities must be kept equal. This ruling hurt the civil rights movement because it did nothing to help their rights. The government also did nothing to ensure that everything was truly kept equal while separate. -
19th Amendment
This amendment banned the voting discrimination of gender. It said that each state can have requirements on who can vote but were not allowed to ban women from voting. Since this gave women the right to vote, it very much helped in the suffragettes women’s rights movements. -
Brown v Board of Education
This Supreme Court case caused the judges to change their mind on the Plessy v Ferguson case. They decided that segregation was unconstitutional and that starting with schools, desegregation needed to begin. Although this only required schools to be desegregated, it sparked the decision to desegregate everywhere. Although this case was a major push for the African American Civil Rights movement there were many Southerners who objected this. -
Equal Pay Act of 1963
This Act attempted to completely abolish the pay gap in the workforce based on gender. This was important for the women’s rights movement because it brought their wages closer to those of men. Today there is still a small gap, but it was closed greatly by the Equal Pay Act. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act made discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, and gender illegal. It encouraged desegregation everywhere and ended voter discrimination. This Act greatly helped the African Americans in their fight for Civil Rights. Although the government declared discrimination illegal, many people still practiced segregation. -
Baker v Nelson
The Minnesota Supreme Court came to a ruling that state laws prohibiting same sex marriage were constitutional. They claimed that the Constitution does not allow for same sex marriage, hurting the LGBTQ+ community. -
Title IX
Title IX declared that anybody, no matter the gender, could participate in sports. With this Title, women were able to step out of the ‘norm’ and play sports like men could. -
Violence Against Women Act
This Act providing funding for the investigating and prosecuting of violent crimes against women. Violent crimes such as domestic abuse and rape. This Act greatly helped women’s rights, giving them the justice they deserve. -
Obergefell v Hodges
This case went to the Supreme Court, whose ruling declared same-sex marriage in all 50 states legal. This forced the states to treat same-sex marriages the same as opposite sex marriages. This case nulled the decision from the Baker V Nelson case. This was a huge win for the LGBTQ+ community, giving same-sex couples the same rights as ‘regular’ couples.
