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Zero. In 1789, neither women nor non-whites were allowed to practice law nor participate in government in the United States. Neither had voting rights. Most African-Americans were held as slaves, and considered chattel (property), rather than citizens. Women had few legal rights and were subservient to their husbands. The United States, like most countries in the 18th century, was both patriarchal and xenophobic. That trend continues today, albeit to a lesser extent.

President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American on the US Supreme Court in 1967. President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice in 1981. To date, only two of 112 justices have been African-American, four have been women, one of whom (Sonia Sotomayor) is also Latina. Even Jewish people were excluded from the Court until President Wilson appointed Louis Brandeis in 1916.

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14y ago

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