 Charlotte Dupee, Charles, & Mary Ann v. Henry Clay |
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In this freedom suit, Charlotte Dupee sought to claim freedom for herself and her children from Henry Clay, the outgoing Secretary of State and leading Whig Senator from Kentucky. While the courts did find in her favor, Charlotte continued to resist her enslavement until she and her daughter Mary Ann were ultimately manumitted 1840.
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| Charter of Delaware |
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The charter for the colony of Delaware guarantees the residents of the colony “freedom of their consciences” as well as religious freedom, stating that if these are abridged no man can be truly happy. It also sets up the rules and values of the colony’s government. Colonial charters outline the boundaries of their colony and set up a government for the colony. These documents provide insight into the values of the colonies’ founders. The Delaware charter also provides limits on the governor’s powers including setting up the terms for impeachment.
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| Charter of Georgia |
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The charter of Georgia sets up the rules and values of the colony’s government. Georgia was founded as a place to relocate debtors of London to give them a chance to make a living and pay back their debts. The colony’s location buffered profitable South Carolina from the Spanish Colonies and Native Americans in Florida and beyond. Colonial charters outline the boundaries of their colony and set up a government for the colony. Colonial charters provide insight into the values of the colonies’ founders. The Charter of Georgia limited the amount of land individuals could own because of its goals to relocate the poor.
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| Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
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The charter for the colony of Rhode Island specifically guarantees religious and civil freedom. It also sets up the rules and values of the colony’s government. Colonial charters outline the boundaries of their colony and set up a government for the colony. These documents provide insight into the values of the colonies’ founders. Rhode Island was among the first states to end slavery in 1787, and this document is a precursor that emphasizes civil liberties. The charter’s emphasis on religious freedom meant that many religious dissenters settled there.
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| Charter of the United Nations |
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The Charter of the United Nations contains the rules and obligations its members must uphold, including the promotion of "universal respect for . . . human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion." The U.S. is one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
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| Charter of Virginia |
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The first charter of the U.S. colonies established the precedent for the ways future colonies were chartered.
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| Cherokee Allotment Act |
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Excerpts from this congressional act brought the Cherokee Nation into the federal process of allotment and gave the Dawes Commission exclusive jurisdiction over legal conflicts related to allotment.
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| Cherokee Nation v. the State of Georgia |
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This landmark Supreme Court case in Federal Indian Law introduced the concept of domestic dependent nations. In this case, the Cherokee Nation sued the state of Georgia in an attempt to prevent the enforcement of laws that stripped the Cherokee of their rights and land. The Court ruled that as the Cherokee Nation was a "domestic dependent nation" not a foreign nation, they did not have the legal standing to bring the case to court.
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| Cherokee Removal Order |
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This broadside details the United States Army orders to force Cherokees from their home districts in Tennessee during removal.
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| Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 |
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The Chinese Exclusion Act barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States, with exceptions granted for merchants, students, or diplomats.
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| Christopher Columbus to Raphael Sanchez |
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Christopher Columbus' letter to the treasurer to the Spanish king and queen describes his interactions with Taino and Arawak people. Early exploitation is evident from Columbus' focus on resource extraction.
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| Civil Liberties Act |
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This act granted reparations to Japanese Americans who had been removed from their homes and interred in camps by the government during World War II. It also made restitution to Native Americans in Alaska who were interred by both the Japanese and Americans.
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| Civil Rights Act of 1866 |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first federal law addressing civil rights. It gave everyone born in the United States, other than Native Americans, citizenship rights and equal rights under the law. President Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill and the House of Representatives overrode his veto. The Civil Rights Act was the precursor to the 14th Amendment.
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| Civil Rights Act of 1875 |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1875 is a Reconstruction Era law enacted to protect the civil rights of freed Black people. It explicitly protected the ability to use transportation and allowed Black people to serve on juries. The law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1883 when they ruled that the 14th Amendment only had the power to regulate states, not individuals.
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| Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned discrimination in employment. The act reflected over a century of political and legal activism.
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| Civil Rights Cases |
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These cases saw the Supreme Court push back on constitutional equal protection and the 1875 Civil Rights Act. The ruling held that the 13th Amendment "merely" abolished slavery and that the 14th Amendment did not apply to the racist acts of private individuals. The decision in these cases led to the increased segregation of Black people in all facets of public and private life.
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| Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34 |
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This broadside detailed U. S. Army orders to force all persons of Japanese ancestry, whether citizens or non-citizens, to depart Alameda County, California, and report to an assembly center where they would be sent to concentration camps. Fred Korematsu defied this exclusion order by remaining at his residence and was eventually convicted in federal court.
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| Clark v. Board of School Directors |
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In this case, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of students based on race was unconstitutional. It was the first and only 19th century court to overturn school segregation.
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| Code Noir |
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A set of laws in French colonies that regulated the lives of enslaved and free black people. The code primarily defined slavery, but it also expelled all Jewish people from French colonies and required Black people to be Catholic and not protestant. The Code Noir demonstrates the way enslaved people's lives were regulated under French colonial rule.
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| Coger v. The North Western Union Packet Co. |
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In this case, the Iowa Supreme Court held that a steamboat company's removal of a Black woman from its dining table violated her constitutional right of equality under Iowa's constitution, relying heavily on the Court's earlier decision in Clark v. Board of School Directors. This case came nearly 100 years before the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States that upheld Title II of the newly passed Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in public accommodations.
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| Colorado Repeal Exception To Constitutional Ban On Slavery |
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Colorado's repeal of the constitutional exception to slavery ended involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime.
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| Commonwealth of Virginia v. Quander |
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Newspaper coverage from the Alexandria Gazette in 1874, reporting on the court cases of Felix and Julia Quander. The married couple were charged with resisting the efforts of Fairfax County constables executing a warrant for the seizure of cattle belonging to the Quanders. Felix, Julia, and their four children were all arrested, brought before a justice, and bailed for further examination. Two months later, Felix and Julia's cases were brought before the Fairfax County Court, where Julia was found not guilty of assault and battery, and Felix was fined $10.
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| Comstock Act |
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The Comstock Act restricted obscene material, contraceptives, and abortion-related materials from being sent through the mail. The act was named for Anthony Comstock, a member of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and a postal inspector. This act was passed during a time when healthcare was shifting from a woman's responsibility to a professional man's responsibility.
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| Constitution And By-Laws of the Sac and Fox Tribe of Missouri |
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As part of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, Native American tribes were encouraged to create tribal governments that mirrored the United States government. Many of the tribes' constitutions were essentially the same.
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| Constitution of Oregon |
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Oregon became a state with a Black exclusion law in its constitution. Drafted in 1857 by delegates at a territorial convention, several sections of the constitution reflect Oregon voters' goal of creating a white-only state.
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