States in the United States Constitution that every American, whether individual, is guaranteed civil rights. Civil rights consisted not only of “freedom of speech and assembly,” but also of “the right to vote, the right to equal protection under the law, and procedural guarantees in criminal and civil rights” (Dawood). It was not until 1791 that the Bill of Rights was attached to the constitution, which helped clarify these rights for citizens. “Rights were ultimately enforced against the actions of state governments in a series of cases decided by the Supreme Court,” Dawood said. In the previous years (1790-1803), the Supreme Court had little say in decisions made by the government. As time went on the Supreme Court took on more responsibilities and began making more decisions, which over time helped minorities gain their civil rights. It took a couple of years, in fact until 1900, for the Supreme Court to emerge from the “ideology of white supremacy and the practice of racism” (Smith). Although the Supreme Court's decisions were not well received at first, after the 20th century the Court truly facilitated the advancement of civil rights. The Supreme Court was known for some of the most infamous decisions made in history, many of which included the cases of Marbury v. Madison, Scott v. Sandford, and United States v. Cruikshank. Despite these cases, the court changed its perspective and helped minorities achieve their civil rights. In 1915, the Guinn and Beal v. United States case helped reassure African Americans of their right to vote. In this case the Supreme Court found the escape clause unconstitutional. The grandfather clause was a mechanism that… was at the heart of the paper… American History Online. File Web Facts, Inc.. November 18, 2011. “Legal and Political History of Civil Rights.” African American History Online. File Web Facts, Inc.. November 25, 2011. "Loving v. Virginia." African American History Online. File Web Facts, Inc.. November 23, 2011.Smith, Robert C. "Supreme Court." Encyclopedia of African American Politics. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. African American History Online. File Web Facts, Inc.. 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. File Web Facts, Inc.. 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).