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14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was passed. This established "equal protection of the law." This was the first time that the word "equal" appeared in the Constitution. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
-The supreme court ruled that "separate but equal" did not violate the Constitution.
""The object of the [Fourteenth] Amendment was undoubtedly to enforce the absolute equality of the two races before the law, but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from political, equality, or a commingling of the two races upon terms unsatisfactory to either." —Justice Henry Billings Brown, majority -
Harry Truman ends segregation in U.S. Army
Truman acknowledged black soldiers' contribution to the U.S. Army and their courage on the battlefield. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme court overturns the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. It ruled that separate facilities for the two races was not equal and a violation of the 14th Amendment.
"We conclude that the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." —Chief Justice Earl Warren -
Affirmative Action Programs
Designed to rectify past wrongs.
The goal was to promote diversity and improve social equality in the workforce and in education. -
Civil Rights Act
Bans discrimination in places of public accomodation, fedrally funded programs, and private employment. -
Voting Rights Act
Allows federal registrars to register voters and ensure those registered can exercise their right to vote without qualifications. -
Loving v. Virginia
Supreme court invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
"We have consistently denied [p12] the constitutionality of measures which restrict the rights of citizens on account of race. There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the Equal Protection Clause." -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American on the Supreme Court. -
Age Discrimination Act
Bans discrimination in employment based on age. -
Equal Rights Amendment Passed
The Equal Rights Amendment was passed in 1972, it would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender. It was never ratified. -
Higher Education Act
Forbids discrimination based on sex by universities and colleges receiving federal aid. -
Housing and Community Development Act
Bans housing discrimination based on gender. -
Regents of the U.of California v. Bakke
U.C. Davis had designed a dual admission program to increase diversity. Bakke was denied admission under the regular program while minority applicants with lower gpa and test scores were admitted under the special admissions program.
The court ruled that rigid quotas were not constitutional.
" . . . Race or ethnic background may be deemed a "plus" in a particular applicant's file, yet it does not insulate the individual from comparison with all other candidates for the available seats." — -
St. Francis College v. Al-Khazraji
The court expanded the legal definition of race to include "identifiable classes of persons who are subjected to intentional discrimination solely because of their ancestry or ethnic characteristics." -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Bans discrimination in employment, transportation, public accomodation, and telecommunications against persons with physical or mental disabilities. -
United States v. Virginia
Court ruled that Virginia could not deny admission to women at the state-supported Virginia Military Institute. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Doma signifed a heterosexual couple in a recognized marriage. Section 3 codified non-recognition of same-sex marriages for all federal purposes, including insurance benefits for government employees, social security survivors' benefits, immigration, bankruptcy, and the filing of joint tax returns, as well as excluding same-sex spouses from the scope of laws protecting families of federal officers
