 U.S. Freedman's Bank Records, Registers of Signatures of Depositors, New York (1870) |
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Freedman's Bank records show both strivings toward stability as well as racialization and colorism post-emancipation due to the specific color-related information listed with deposits.
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| Undesirable Aliens Act (1929) |
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This act made unlawfully entering the U.S. a crime for the first time. Immigrants who did not cross the border through an official point of entry, where they had to pay a fee and submit to tests, could be charged with a misdemeanor crime, facing fines and up to a year's imprisonment. Returning to the U.S. after deportation was made a felony, punishable by $1,000 in fines and up to two years imprisonment. This law applied to all immigrants entering the U.S., but was intended to restrict immigration from Mexico.
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| United Nations Universal Declaration of Rights (1948) |
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This document, drafted by a committee of the United Nations chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, details the "basic rights and fundamental freedoms" due all peoples regardless of "race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."
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| United States v. Cartozian (1925) |
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In this case, the District Court of Oregon debated whether an Armenian immigrant was white enough to be naturalized. Just two years after the Supreme Court ruled that Ozawa, a Japanese man, and Thind, a South Asian man, were not white enough for naturalization, the Oregon court ruled that people from Asia Minor were close enough to European descent to be naturalized.
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| United States v. Kagama (1886) |
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This Supreme Court case asserted the federal government's role in criminal jurisdiction on tribal lands. The Court ruled that the Indian Major Crimes act was constitutional, therefore federal courts had jurisdiction to indict Native defendants for murder.
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| United States v. Sandoval (1913) |
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In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Pueblo people were Indians, repudiating the earlier United States v. Joseph decision which had held that they were not. The title to Pueblo lands was now seen as held by tribes instead of in fee simple, meaning that Congressional approval was needed in order to make land sales. This undermined the legitimacy of non-Indian land titles across New Mexico.
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| United States v. Thind (1923) |
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The Supreme Court found in U.S. v. Thind that Indian immigrants were not eligible for naturalization, based on a contested category of whiteness. Contradicting their 1922 ruling in Ozawa naming caucasian identity as a requirement for naturalization, as a South Asian immigrant, Thind was deemed ineligible for citizenship because, despite being racially caucasian, he did not appear white.
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| United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) |
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In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court solidified the principle of birthright citizenship, affirming that anyone born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' citizenship, is a U.S. citizen.
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| United States, ex rel. Standing Bear, v. George Crook (1879) |
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In this case, Judge Elmer S. Dundy ruled that "an Indian is a person within the meaning of the laws of the United States," and that they were entitled to the right of expatriation. Standing Bear and 29 other Ponca had left their reservation in Indian Territory without the permission of the federal government and returned to Nebraska. They were later arrested and petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus, which was granted. Judge Dundy's opinion led to the release of the Ponca petitioners.
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| Vanguard: Black Women and the Right to Vote |
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This teaching module discusses how Black women fought against both racism and sexism during their fight for women's suffrage, featuring a webinar with Martha S. Jones, author of the 2020 book, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All.
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| Voting Rights Act (1965) |
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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits racial discrimination in voting, enforcing the voting rights protected by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Its intent was to outlaw the discriminatory voting practices adopted by many southern states against African Americans. Its power was severely reduced by the 2013 Supreme Court Decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
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| War Brides Act (1945) |
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The War Brides Act was a federal law that allowed for the naturalization of foreign women married to United States servicemen.
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| Webinar - Affirmative Action's Origins and Legacies (2023) |
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In this webinar, UNL Law Faculty Eric Berger, Danielle Jefferis, and Catherine Wilson provide an in-depth look at affirmative action, delving into its origins and tracing its impact to the present day.
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| Webinar - Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights (2026) |
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In this webinar, Professor Dylan C. Penningroth of the University of California, Berkeley, discusses his award-winning 2023 book, Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights, examining how Black people used the law in their everyday lives prior to the civil rights movement.
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| Webinar - The Insular Cases and Contested Citizenship (2024) |
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In this webinar, Professor Robert McGreevey of the College of New Jersey discusses the intersection of U.S. colonial power and migration with Dr. Jeannette Eileen Jones and her And Justice For All class.
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| Webinar - Vanguard: Black Women and the Right to Vote (2024) |
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In this webinar, Professor Martha S. Jones of Johns Hopkins University discusses Black women and the right to vote with Dr. William Thomas and his American Constitutional History class.
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| Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co. (1965) |
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In this case, a U.S. Court of Appeals decided that a lower court could rule a contract unconscionable and therefore not enforceable. Ora Lee Williams, a resident of an underprivileged Black neighborhood in Washington, D.C., had signed an installment sales contract containing a clause that gave the seller the right to repossess all prior goods purchased under the contract upon missing a payment on the most recent purchase, even if she had already paid enough to cover what was owed. Justice Wright remanded the case back to the lower court with a new definition of unconscionability. This case is an example of abusive credit practices targeting those in poverty in the U.S.
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| Woman Suffrage in Territories (1883) |
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This newspaper article discusses the women's suffrage act passed in Washington Territory. Washington was the third territory to grant women suffrage rights, although the Territorial Supreme Court later overturned the law.
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| Wyoming Declaration of Rights (1889) |
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The first article of the State of Wyoming's Constitution enumerates certain rights within the state. Wyoming Territory was the first government to grant women suffrage rights, and that right was preserved in the Declaration of Rights when organizing the state government.
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