On July 4, 1776 – 250 years ago this Saturday – our forefathers adopted the Declaration of Independence. In honor of the occasion, I'll run a two-part series with 76 employment law developments in our nation’s history.
1791: Bill of Rights ratified, including the First Amendment, which will become very relevant to public sector employers (speech, religion).
1866: Congress enacts 42 U.S.C. Section 1981, which gives all individuals the right to make and enforce contracts without regard to race. This statute is still invoked today in race discrimination cases.
1868: The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified, which applies the Bill of Rights to the states and also requires that individuals be treated the same without regard to race. Also, as relevant this week (check in tomorrow!), it provides citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to its jurisdiction.
1870: The Fifteenth Amendment gives the right to vote to all people (well, all men) regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Also, the first four federal holidays are established: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. (Yay!)
1871: Congress enacts 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, which gives individuals the right to sue those who, “acting under color of [law,]” deprive them of their rights. This statute is still used in discrimination suits against public sector employers.
1877: Horace Gay Wood publishes his treatise "Master and Servant,"...
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