Stated in the U.S. Constitution, every American, or at least every person, is guaranteed civil rights. Civil rights consisted not only of “freedom of speech and assembly,” but also “the right to vote, the right to equal protection under the law, and procedural guarantees in criminal and civil matters” (Dawood). It wasn't until 1791 that the Bill of Rights was annexed to the constitution, which helped clarify these rights for citizens. “The rights were eventually enforced against the actions of state governments in a series of cases decided by the Supreme Court,” Dawood said. In previous years (1790-1803), the Supreme Court had little say in decisions made by the government. Over time, the Supreme Court took on more responsibilities and began making additional decisions, which ultimately helped minorities gain their civil rights. It took a few years, in fact until the 1900s, for the Supreme Court to free itself from “the ideology of white supremacy and the practice of racism” (Smith). Although the Supreme Court's decisions were not popular at first, after the 20th century the Court actually facilitated the advancement of civil rights. The Supreme Court was known for some of the most notorious decisions in history, many of which included Marbury v. Madison, Scott v. Sandford, and United States v. Cruikshank. Despite these cases, the court has flip-flopped and changed its views and helped minorities assert their civil rights. In 1915, the case of Guinn and Beal v. United States helped African Americans secure their right to vote. In this case, the Supreme Court found the grandfather clause unconstitutional. The grandfather clause was a mechanism middle of paper...... American History Online. Facts about File, Inc. Web. November 18, 2011. “Civil Rights Legal and Policy Timeline.” African American History Online. Facts about File, Inc. Web. November 25, 2011. “Loving v. Virginia.” African American History Online. Facts about File, Inc. Web. November 23, 2011. Smith, Robert C. “Supreme Court.” Encyclopedia of African American Politics. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. African American History Online. Facts about File, Inc. Web. November 20, 2011. Unger, Harlow G. "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." Encyclopedia of American Education, 3rd Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. African American History Online. Facts about File, Inc. Web. November 19, 2011. “Loving v. Virginia.” African American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=E13715&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 27, 2011).