Civil Rights: Timeline of Events
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Civil rights ensure equality and include protection from unlawful discrimination. Many civil rights in the United States stem from action in response to the Civil Rights Movement, but there were many significant occurrences affecting civil rights that proceeded that era and there are many that followed that strive for freedom and equality and the continued preservation of civil rights. Below are summaries of key events to relevant to American civil rights.
1857 | Dred Scott v. Sanford (Denial of Basic Rights to Blacks) A major precursor to the Civil War, this controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision denied citizenship and basic rights to all blacks -- whether slave or free. |
1863 | Emancipation Proclamation |
1865 | 13th Amendment Passes |
1868 | 14th Amendment Passes |
1870 | 15th Amendment Passes |
1893 | Wyoming Becomes First State to Grant Women the Right to Vote |
1896 | Plessy v. Ferguson (Approval of "Separate but Equal" Facilities) |
1909 | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Founded |
1920 | 19th Amendment Passes American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Founded |
1942 | Roosevelt Issues Order Relocating Japanese-Americans |
1954 | Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (De-Segregation in Education) |
1955 | Montgomery Bus Boycotts Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka II, Kansas (De-Segregation in Education) |
1962 | Bailey v. Patterson (De-Segregation in Transportation) |
1963 | Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I Have a Dream" Equal Pay Act |
1964 | Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
1965 | Voting Rights Act of 1965 Malcolm X Assassinated in New York City Watts Riots in Los Angeles |
1967 | Loving v. Virginia (Inter-Racial Marriage) |
1968 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated in Memphis |
1971 | Equal Rights Amendment Passes in Congress |
1978 | Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Affirmative Action) Pregnancy Discrimination Act Signed |
1990 | Americans with Disabilities Act |
1993 | Family and Medical Leave Act |
2003 | Lawrence v. Texas (Rights of Same-Sex Couples) |
2013 | Shelby County v. Holder (Voting Rights) |
2015 | Obergefell v. Hodges (Rights of Same-Sex Couples) |
Get Professional Legal Help with Your Civil Rights Claim
The United States has had many important civil rights events in its history. These events affect the civil rights protections that we have today. If you suspect that you have been deprived of your civil rights, then you should talk to an attorney. Go to FindLaw's attorney directory to find a civil rights lawyer near you.
Next Steps
Contact a qualified civil rights attorney to help you protect your rights.