Laws and Court Decisions
The Affordable Care Act (2010)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2020 expands health care coverage to 17 million Americans who were previously uninsured. This...
William Reynolds v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1903)
In 1879 the Kansas State Legislature passed a law permitting first class cities in Kansas (cities with a population of...
Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville (1849- )
The Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, the hometown of Sam Houston, was established in 1849. It is also referred to...
Mississippi Black Codes, 1865-1866
Following the passage of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865, slavery was officially ended throughout the United States, including...
The Bridget “Biddy” Mason Case, 1856
In the 1856 landmark case Mason v. Smith, Bridget “Biddy” Mason sued her master for her and her family’s freedom,...
The Enforcement Act of 1870 (1870-1871)
In the five years following the Civil War, the U.S. Congress passed and the states ratified the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and...
Irene Morgan Kirkaldy (1917-2007)
Irene Amos Morgan Kirkaldy was a civil rights activist who won her 1946 U.S. Supreme Court case in Irene Morgan...
Alexander P. Ashbourne (1820-1915)
Alexander P. Ashbourne was an early inventor. He was born into slavery in Philadelphia around 1820. There are very few...
Betty Jean Owens (1930s- ?)
Betty Jean Owens, an African American woman and Florida A&M University student, was raped by four white men, William Collinsworth,...
