Supreme Court Decisions on Civil Rights
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
“Separate-but-equal” doctrine: Segregation was permitted as long as
equal facilities were provided for African Americans.
Norris v. Alabama (1935)
African Americans should not be excluded from serving on juries.
Morgan v. Virginia (1946)
Segregation on interstate buses was unconstitutional.
Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
State law schools had to admit qualified African American candidates
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the
equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Martin Luther King, Jr: “I Have a Dream” Speech; Non-Violent Protest
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (President Lyndon Johnson signed into law)
*Most comprehensive civil rights law ever enacted by Congress
*Made segregation illegal in most places of public accommodation
*Gave citizens of all races and nationalities equal access to
restaurants, parks, libraries, and theaters.
*Gave the attorney general power to bring lawsuits to force school
desegregation
*Required private employers to end workplace discrimination
*Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
as a permanent agency in the federal government. EEOC monitors the
ban on job discrimination by race, religion, gender, and national origin
Civil Rights Laws and Cases Cheat Sheet