Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Unit

Dred Scott Decision

Former slaves and the descendants of slaves were not citizens of the United States, even if they were residents of free states or territories.

13th Amendment

Prohibited slavery.

14th Amendment

Declared that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens, and no state can abridge the privileges or immunities of these citizens.

15th Amendment

Granted African Americans the right to vote.

Black Codes

Laws that attempted to restrict the economic and political rights of freedmen.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws that enforced racial segregation and prevented black men from exercising their right to vote.

Literacy Tests

Used by registrars to determine whether voters were qualified to vote.

Poll Tax

A tax that voters were required to pay in order to vote.

Grandfather Clause

Exempted those whose ancestors could vote before the Civil War from literacy tests and poll taxes.

24th Amendment

Prohibited the Poll Tax.

Segregation de Jure

Segregation that is enforced by law.

Segregation de Facto

Segregation that occurs through social practices and housing patterns.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that outlawed racial segregation in schools and public places.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that outlawed literacy tests and authorized federal officers to register voters in uncooperative areas.

Title IX

Legislation prohibiting sex-based discrimination in schools receiving federal aid.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; the oldest and largest civil rights organization advocating for black people.

LDF

Legal Defense Fund; the first NAACP organization that fought for black civil rights, most notably in Brown v. Board of Education.

Thurgood Marshall

Founder of the LDF and chief legal counsel for the NAACP, known for arguing Brown v. Board.

Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009

Expanded federal law to prosecute crimes based on religion, race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Obergefell v. Hodges

Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide based on the 14th Amendment.

19th Amendment

Constitutional amendment from 1920 that granted women the right to vote.

Equal Rights Amendment

A proposed amendment designed to guarantee equal rights regardless of gender.

Equal Pay Act

Federal law prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination.

NOW

National Organization for Women; feminist advocacy group founded in 1966.

Affirmative Action

Policy aimed at increasing opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups by considering race, gender, or background.

Controversies of Affirmative Action

Debate over fairness and the balance between diversity and merit.

NSA

National Security Agency; U.S. intelligence agency responsible for global monitoring and information processing.

ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union; nonprofit organization dedicated to defending individual rights and liberties.

Patriot Act

Law passed shortly after 9/11 to strengthen law enforcement surveillance powers.

USA Freedom Act

Law that ended the NSA’s bulk collection of telephone metadata.