Acts & CASES

Plessy v Ferguson - 1896
This was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in quality, a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal" .

In other words, they found a way to get around the law so that they could basically still be segregated but make it look like it was legal and equal.

Brown v Board of Education - 17  May 1954
U.S. Supreme Court rule that state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality.  In other words, Black and white children can go to the same school.

This was super important because it sent a big message to America that the law was going to support the civil right of Black people.

Civil rights act - 2 July 1964

This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. It was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. 

Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation on the grounds of race, religion or national origin was banned at all places of public accommodation, including courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas and hotels. No longer could Black people and other minorities be denied service simply based on the color of their skin. 

The Civil Rights Act was later expanded to bring disabled Americans, the elderly and women in collegiate athletics under its umbrella.

It also paved the way for two major follow-up laws: the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which banned discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of property.