John F. Kennedy once said that "it ought to to be possible... for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color." The Civil Rights Movement, which began when the infamous Rosa Parks was harassed by the police when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger, was just one campaign that fought to bring Kennedy 's views to life. The Supreme Court also had a hand in the equalization of the races in America, but it was not always positive. The Supreme Court has influenced the views of civil rights advocates throughout the years: Dred Scott vs. Sanford, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Loving vs. Virginia. To start off, Dred Scott and his wife lived in Wisconsin with their owner, Dr. John Emerson. At the time, Wisconsin was a free state, and slavery was illegal. As a result, the Scotts sued for their freedom. The case made it to the Supreme Court …show more content…
Loving vs. Virginia was one of the most aptly titled cases in American history. Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter married in the nation 's capital 71 years after Plessy vs. Ferguson unraveled in the Supreme Court, then returned to their home in Virginia. However, interracial marriage was banned in Virginia at the time of the move, and they were detained. When the case went to court, Judge Leon M. Bazile claimed, "Almighty God created the races... and he placed them on separate continents... {showing} that he did not intend for the races to mix" (Loving vs. Virginia). Bazile continued to sentence the couple to a year in prison, but guaranteed their freedom if they left the state of Virginia for the following 25 years. The Lovings consequently moved away, yet five years later they were arrested again while visiting family in Virginia. The case boosted up to the Supreme Court after that, and Virginia 's law was declared unconstitutional. Loving vs. Virginia brought an end to the discriminatory mindset that blacks and whites could not mix, let alone