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Read about featured U.S. Government events that impacted the civil rights of Hispanics and Latinos since 1868, and find out about notable individuals in American history.
Click on the side arrows to see brief biographies of notable Hispanics and Latinos in American history, including Julia Alvarez, Luis Álvarez, Joseph H. De Castro, Lauro Cavazos, Richard E. Cavazos, Franklin Chang-Díaz, César Chávez, Roberto Clemente, Olga E. Custodio, Gloria Estefan, José Ferrer, Joseph Marion Hernández, Dolores Huerta, Gwen Ifill, Octaviano Larrazolo, Catherine Cortez Masto, Gabriela Mistral, Rita Moreno, Antonia Novello, Ellen Ochoa, Romualdo Pacheco, Sonia Sotomayor, Barbara Vucanovich, and George Meléndez Wright.
First Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Congress as the first delegate from the Florida Territory in 1822.
First Latino elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1877.
First Latino to receive the Medal of Honor in 1864.
First Latino to serve as a U.S. Senator in 1928.
First Latina to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.
First Latino and Salvadoran in a professional role at the National Park Service in 1927.
Experimental physicist involved in the Manhattan Project, and winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics.
First Latino to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1950 and an 1985 National Medal of Arts recipient.
First Latina elected to the U.S. House of Representative in 1983.
First Latino to serve in a presidential cabinet (U.S. Secretary of Education in 1988).
Civil rights activist for farm workers.
First Latino four-star general in the U.S. Army.
Civil rights activist for workers and a 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee.
First Latina to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1961, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 and the National Medal of the Arts in 2009.
First Latino American Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.
First woman and Latina to be appointed U.S. Surgeon General in 1990.
Dominican American writer who received the National Medal of Arts in 2013.
First Latino astronaut in space in 1986.
First Latina U.S. Military pilot.
First Latina and third woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Barbadian-American and Panamanian journalist and co-anchor at Public Broadcasting Station.
First Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023, and first Cuban American to be named as one of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.
First Latina in space in 1993.
First Latina elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017.
| Date | Event | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 9, 1868 | Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution | September 17, 1968 | National Hispanic Heritage Week |
| April 25 to December 10, 1898 | Spanish–American War | March 21, 1973 | San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez |
| February 5, 1917 | Immigration Act of 1917 | June 30, 1975 | U.S. v. Brignoni-Ponce |
| March 2, 1917 | Puerto Rico becomes a U.S. territory | August 6, 1975 | Amended Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
| May 28, 1924 | Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 | March 17, 1980 | Refugee Act of 1980 |
| August 4, 1942 | Bracero Program | June 15, 1982 | Plyler v. Doe |
| February 18, 1946 | Mendez v. Westminster | November 6, 1986 | Immigration Reform and Control Act |
| May 3, 1954 | Hernández v. Texas | March 9, 1987 | INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca |
|
May 17, 1954 |
Brown v. Board of Education |
August 17, 1988 | National Hispanic Heritage Month |
| July 2, 1964 | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | November 29, 1990 | Temporary Protection Status (TPS) Program |
| October 3, 1965 | Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 | December 8, 1993 | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act |
| June 13, 1966 | Katzenbach v. Morgan | June 15, 2012 | Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) |
| June 13, 1966 | Miranda v. Arizona | June 25, 2012 | Arizona v. United States |
Click on the side arrows for more information about the featured events in U.S. Government history.
"Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."^
Ratified on this date, this Amendment "extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people" and "equal protection under the laws" for all citizens.*
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"WHEREAS by an Act of Congress approved April 25, 1898, it is declared that war exists and that war has existed since the 21st day of April, A. D. 1898, including said day, between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain. Whereas, it being desirable that such war should be conducted upon principles in harmony with the present views of nations and sanctioned by their recent practice, it has already been announced that the policy of this Government will be not to resort to privateering, but to adhere to the rules of the Declaration of Paris."^
The U.S Congress declares of war against the Kingdom of Spain, which ends a few months later with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.* Spain loses control of Cuba, Guam, the Philippines Islands, Puerto Rico, and other islands.^^
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"... may designate the particular language or dialect in which he desires the examination to be made, and shall be required to read the words printed on the slip in such language or dialect."^
This Act is the first "widely restrictive immigration law" that also includes a literacy test in one's own language and an increased number of medical examinations before and after departing the country.^^*
President Woodrow Wilson signs the Jones-Shafroth Act, which makes Puerto Rico a U.S. territory.*
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The Act creates the U.S. Border Patrol to "secure the borders between inspection stations."*
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The U.S. "Government enters a bilateral immigratory contract with the Mexican Government for the movement of thousands of temporary workers on to privately-owned farms in the western U.S."* This program lasts until December 31, 1964.
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The ultimate question for decision may be thus stated: Does such official action of defendant district school agencies and the usages and practices pursued by the respective school authorities as shown by the evidence operate to deny or deprive the so-called non-English speaking school children of Mexican ancestry or descent within such school districts of the equal protection of the laws?... We conclude by holding that the allegations of the complaint (petition) have been established sufficiently to justify injunctive relief against all defendants, restraining further discriminatory practices against the pupils of Mexican descent in the public schools of defendant school districts."^
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling leads to California becoming the "first state to officially desegregate its public schools."*
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"The right to be indicted and tried by juries from which all members of his class are not systematically excluded—juries selected from among all qualified persons regardless of national origin or descent."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that "all racial groups in the United States have equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment."*
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"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."^
In this landmark U.S. Supreme Court case with an unanimous ruling, the "separate but equal" practice of public schools violates the Fourteenth Amendment.*
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"To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suites to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes."^
President Lyndon Johnson signs this Act into law, which includes outlawing discrimination to public accommodations, public facilities, public education, and federally assisted programs.
"To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, and for other purposes."^
Amending the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, this Act "eliminates the national origins quota system, sets a ceiling of 290,000 annual visas (120,000 from the Western Hemisphere; 170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere), and limits yearly emigration from any one country to 20,000."*
"Though the States have power to fix voting qualifications, they cannot do so contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment or any other constitutional, provision."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that "Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act [1965] under section 5 of the 14th Amendment" is constitutional, allowing Federal law to strike down state voting laws, like the one in New York that required English proficiency to vote.*
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"In dealing with custodial interrogation, we will not presume that a defendant has been effectively apprised of his rights and that his privilege against self-incrimination has been adequately safeguarded on a record that does not show that any warnings have been given or that any effective alternative has been employed."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that an "arrested individual is entitled to rights against self-incrimination and to an attorney under the 5th and 6th Amendments."*
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"Authorizing the President to proclaim annually the week including September 15 and 16 as "National Hispanic Heritage Week"."^
The U.S. Congress passes a joint resolution to establish an annual week in mid-September.
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"Education, of course, is not among the rights afforded explicit protection under our Federal Constitution. Nor do we find any basis for saying it is implicitly so protected... It must be remembered, also, that every claim arising under the Equal Protection Clause has implications for the relationship between national and state power under our federal system... The consideration and initiation of fundamental reforms with respect to state taxation and education are matters reserved for the legislative processes of the various States, and we do no violence to the values of federalism and separation of powers by staying our hand."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that there is "no constitutional violation in Texas’ school financing system" in its inequitable distribution of educational funds, and "rejects the argument that education is a 'fundamental right.'"* This financial system is later unconstitutional in 1992.
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"The likelihood that any given person of Mexican ancestry is an alien is high enough to make Mexican appearance a relevant factor, but standing alone it does not justify stopping all Mexican-Americans to ask if they are aliens."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that "stopping individuals for unreasonable suspicions violated the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."*
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"To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to extend certain provisions for an additional seven years, to make permanent the ban against certain prerequisites to voting, and for other purposes."^
This amended version of the Act " added preclearance protections for some members of language-minority groups, and expanded the prohibition on tests or devices to include providing English-only ballots or English-only voting information or assistance, in jurisdictions that met a new trigger for populations with limited English abilities."*
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"To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the procedures for the admission of refugees, to amend the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 to establish a more uniform basis for the provision of assistance to refugees, and for other purposes."^
This Act redefined a "refugee" as a person with 'well-founded fear of persecution,' a standard established by the United Nations."* It also "sets the annual number of refugee admissions and the allocation of these admissions... from various parts of the world."^^
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"If the State is to deny a discrete group of innocent children the free public education that it offers to other children residing within its borders, that denial must be justified by a showing that it furthers some substantial state interest. No such showing was made here."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that denying "undocumented children of illegal immigrants the right to attend public school" violates the Fourteenth Amendment."*
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"To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise and reform the immigration laws, and for other purposes."^
This act has two main components: 1) introducing "civil and criminal penalties to employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants or individuals unauthorized to work" in the United States; and 2) offering legalization opportunities for eligible undocumented migrants.*
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"Deportation is always a harsh measure; it is all the more replete with danger when the alien makes a claim that he or she will be subject to death or persecution if forced to return to his or her home country. In enacting the Refugee Act of 1980 Congress sought to 'give the United States sufficient flexibility to respond to situations involving political or religious dissidents and detainees throughout the world'... Whether or not a 'refugee' is eventually granted asylum is a matter which Congress has left for the Attorney General to decide. But it is clear that Congress did not intend to restrict eligibility for that relief to those who could prove that it is more likely than not that they will be persecuted if deported."^
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Sections 208(a) and 243(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act have separate standards, which broadened the definition for a refugee.*
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"To amend Public Law 90-498 to provide for the designation of National Hispanic Heritage Month."^
This law expands the annual heritage week into a 31-day period from September 15th through October 15th.*
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"To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to change the level, and preference system for admission, of immigrants to the United States, and to provide for administrative naturalization, and for other purposes."^
First established in this Act, TPS is for "foreign nationals within the United States who may not qualify for asylum but are nonetheless fleeing—or reluctant to return to—potentially dangerous situations."*
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"The North American Free Trade Agreement entered into on December 17, 1992, with the Governments of Canada and Mexico and submitted to the Congress on November 4, 1993... The President is authorized to exchange notes with the Government of Canada or Mexico providing for the entry into force, on or after January 1, 1994."^
NAFTA is a free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
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"... The Nation's immigration laws against certain young people who were brought to this country as children and know only this country as home. As a general matter, these individuals lacked the intent to violate the law and our ongoing review of pending removal cases is already offering administrative closure to many of them. However, additional measures are necessary to ensure that our enforcement resources are not expended on these low priority cases but are instead appropriately focused on people who meet our enforcement priorities."^
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issues a memorandum that provides eligibility criteria for "unauthorized childhood arrivals" to have deferred action to remain in the United States for a "set period of time."*
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"Federal law specifies limited circumstances in which state officers may perform an immigration officer’s functions."^
Except for Section 2(B), the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Arizona's Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act is unconstitutional."*
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