Particularly at the dawn of the union, states have had a significant amount of autonomy and power. Back when property was often necessary for voting, the states were allowed to decide how much property was needed to have one's voice heard on political matters.

The Mayflower Compact was an early governing document signed by people who migrated from Europe to what would become the United States. It was drafted onboard the Mayflower by members of its crew based on when they knew of their environment thus stressing the need for self-governance.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the primary piece of legislation that come out of the Civil Rights Movement and was eventually passed after a lot of pressure on Congress from President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act contained various provisions designed to protect against discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, and ethnicity and therefore outlawed what was left of segregation and eventually forced the desegregation of schools. This act is credited with providing many of the protections that people have today and is considered one of the most important pieces of 20th legislation.

In a criminal trial, the rights of the accused trump protection for journalistic sources. The Supreme Court refused to take the case of journalist Myron Farber, who found himself in a similar situation, because the Constitution does not provide reporters with the privilege of refusing to provide the name of a confidential source in the context of a criminal trial. The majority of states have "shield laws" that will keep journalists safe in such a situation, but the federal government does not. Federal courts must decide on a case-by-case basis whether the need of a journalist to protect a confidential source outweighs the interest of the government in gathering evidence in a criminal investigation.

The Bill of Rights – which are the Constitution’s first ten Amendments – are the source of the civil liberties and rights enjoyed by all Americans. The Constitution itself is a much broader document; it deals with Congressional structure, states’ rights, Presidential powers, and federal election requirements, among many other administrative concerns. The Bill of Rights was specifically added onto the Constitution by Congress in 1791, in order to ensure that in addition to its other topics, the Constitution included adequate protection of civil liberties. Included in the Bill of Rights are such famous statements as the right to freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and protection against “cruel and unusual punishment” by legal authorities. Indeed, the Bill of Rights is primarily focused on listing those freedoms (such as the three stated above) that both the national and state governments must respect and may not (unless under severe duress) ban any citizen from exercising or enjoying. Because most state constitutions at the time already included their own bills of rights, the Constitution’s Bill of Rights took its inspiration from these state documents, which were widely satisfaction of most citizens. 

The Civil Rights Movement, in an effort to achieve change through the judicial system, first took up the issue of equal public education before the Supreme Court – perhaps because the value of education is a widely cherished belief across all levels of American society. In 1954, civil rights advocates, led by the NAACP, brought the case of Brown v. Board of Education to the Court, in which they argued that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The Court agreed, ruling that under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, segregation in public schools was indeed unconstitutional, even if the provided facilities and materials were “separate but equal” (as proponents of segregation alleged). This decision reversed an earlier ruling issued by the Court in 1896, in which the justices had found “separate but equal” institutions (including segregated schools, segregated restaurants, and segregated railroad cars) were legally permissible (Plessy v. Ferguson). Brown v. Board’s decisive ruling was the first judicial victory achieved by the Civil Rights Movement and the Supreme Court would go on to expand upon this case’s ruling, using it as a template for further judicial expansion and protection of the civil rights of African Americans and other minority groups.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is noted for outlawing any discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, religion, or gender. It is related to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the Constitution, which were passed shortly after the end of the Civil War. The Civil Rights Act promised to protect the right to equal protection established under the Fourteenth Amendment and also to protect the equal voting rights established under the Fifteenth Amendment.

The Supreme Court case of Reynolds v. United States (1879) was centered around Reynolds practicing of polygamy (something he argued was protected by his right to religious freedom as a Mormon). The Supreme Court ruled such practice was in violation of criminal law and thus not protected by the right to freedom of religion.

The Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned the previous Supreme Court ruling Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). The original case, Plessy v. Ferguson, established that black and white people could constitutionally be separated in public places if their separate circumstances were found to be equal (“separate but equal”). Brown v. Board of Education overturned this ruling, finding that separate was inherently not equal and thus in violation of the Constitution. Specifically, Brown v. Board of Education determined that white and black students could not be forced to attend separate schools.

Brown vs. Board of Education was a 1954 Supreme Court case that dealt with the school segregation that had been the norm since Plessy vs. Ferguson declared that segregation is permitted so long as the facilities and resources are “separate but equal.” There were a variety of lawsuits filed about segregation, including one where an African American sued the Topeka, Kansas Board of Education on the basis that the schools for non-white children were not equal. The Court decided that this case would be the primary one for school segregation and unanimously ruled that school segregation based on race is illegal under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. While this ruling did not immediately integrate schools, it was used as the basis for getting rid of segregation and is regarded as one of, if not the, most important rulings of the century.