An overview of civil rights for a National Government class.

1. Jon R. Wallace
POSC 101
Lake Michigan College

2. Civil Liberties are
protections against
government actions.
Civil Rights refer to
positive actions the
government should
take to create equal
conditions for all
Americans.

3. Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)—
the Supreme Court ruled that
slaves were not citizens of the
United States, nor were they
entitled to the rights and
privileges of citizenship. The
Court also ruled that the
Missouri Compromise, which
banned slavery in the
Video: Dred Scott & the 14th territories in the southern
Amendment
border of Missouri, was
unconstitutional.

4. Thirteenth Amendment — neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude shall exist within the United States.
Fourteenth Amendment —all persons born or naturalized in
the United States are citizens of the United States. No state shall
make or enforce any law reducing the privileges or immunities of
citizens; nor shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of the law, nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Fifteenth Amendment — the rights of citizens in the United
States to vote shall note be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on the account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude.

5. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 –
Extended citizenship to anyone
born in the US and gave African
Americans full equality according to
the law
The Enforcement Act of 1870
– Established specific sanctions for
interfering with the right to vote.
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 –
Declared that everyone is entitled
to free and equal enjoyment of
public accomodations.

6. The Ineffectiveness of
Failure of Reconstruction the Civil Rights Laws
The Civil Rights Cases
The Supreme Court
ruled that the
Fourteenth
Amendment was
limited to correcting
actions by states in
their official acts and
didn’t apply to private
discrimination

7. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
established the Separate-
but-Equal Doctrine — the
doctrine holding that
separate-but-equal
facilities do not violate the
equal protection clause of
the 14th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution as
long as the facilities were
equal.

8. White Primary—a state primary election that
restricts voting to whites only; outlawed by the
Supreme Court in 1944.
Grandfather Clause—a device used by southern
states to disenfranchise African Americans. It
restricted voting to those whose grandfathers
had voted before 1867.
Poll Tax—a special tax that must be paid to vote.
In 1964, the 24th Amendment outlawed in
national elections, and in 1966 the Supreme
Court declared it unconstitutional in state
elections as well.

9. In the Southern states,
lynching was a direct
response to accusations
of “familiarity” between
a white woman and an
African American man or
boy.
Race riots were typically
initiated by whites,
typically caused by
competition for
employment. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

10. The End of Separate
but Equal begins in
the 1930’s with
several court cases
and the growth of
the NAACP.
Brown v. Board of
Education Topeka
(1954)

11. Segregation of the
races violates the equal
protection clause of the
14th Amendment.
Brown II (1955) the
Supreme Court ordered
lower courts to ensure
African Americans
would be admitted
with “all deliberate
speed.”

12. The white south
challenged the
ruling.
Arkansas governor
ordered the
national guard to
prevent integration
of Central high
school.

13. De Facto Segregation—
racial segregation that
occurs because of past
social and economic
conditions and residential
racial patterns.
De Jure Segregation—
racial segregation that
occurs because of laws or
administrative decisions by
public agencies.

14. By the late 1990s, the
courts drifted away from
previous commitments
to desegregation.
Several cases challenged
busing and admissions
policies.
Belk v. Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Board of
Education (2001)

15. Minority districts are
growing due to changing
demographics. Large
cities have higher
populations of African
and Latino American
populations.
This has caused shifts in
education systems and
inequalities in education
among districts.

16. Rosa Parks – arrested for
refusing to give up her
bus seat to a white man.
African Americans
boycotted the bus
system for a year, led by
a then 27 year old Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1956 a federal court
issued an injunction
prohibiting Montgomery,
AL bus segregation.

17. King’s Philosophy of Civil
Disobedience (Ghandi).
Civil Disobedience—a
nonviolent, public refusal
to obey allegedly unjust
laws. King’s practice was
based on Mahatma
Gandhi’s use of
demonstrations, protests,
and marches

18. The March on
Washington - August,
1963.
Over 250,000 attended
and millions watched on
television.
“I have a dream”

19. Black Power was a
different approach:
Black Muslims and African
American separatists
advocated militancy and a
“fighting back’ philosophy
Rejected cultural
assimilation
Malcolm X preached pride
in color and culture, but
demanded racial
separation

20. Forbids
discrimination on
the basis of race,
color, religion,
gender or national
origin.
Title VII prohibits
discrimination in
employment based
on the above.

21. The Voting
Rights Act of
1965 outlawed
discriminatory
voter registration
tests, authorized
federal
registration and
federal oversight
of any state or
local government
found
discriminating.

22. President Johnson
signed the executive
order in 1965, which
mandated Affirmative
Action: a policy in
educational admissions or
job hiring that gives special
attention or compensatory
treatment to traditionally
disadvantaged groups in an
effort to overcome present
effects of past
discrimination.

23. Forbade discrimination
in housing and provided
penalties for those
interfering with
individual civil rights.
Additional legislation
prevented discrimination
in mortgage lending.
In 2008 African American
voters outnumbered
white voters.

24. Congress expanded the
rights of the Equal
Opportunity
Employment
Commission and
expanded coverage of
civil rights to federal,
state, and local
governments, schools
and colleges.

25. Increased political
participation by African
Americans.
Over 5,000 Hispanic
elected officials (and
growing).
Increased participation
in politics and political
office by women of all
races.
Charles Haynes/Creative
Commons

26. Lucretia Mott and
Elizabeth Cady
Stanton were barred
by men at the World
Antislavery
Convention in London
in 1840, and returned David J. & Janice L. Frent Collection/Corbis
to the United States
with a plan to work
for women’s rights.

27. In 1848, the first women’s rights convention led by
Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Seneca
Falls, New York approved a Declaration of Sentiments.

28. Susan B. Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
formed the National
Women’s Suffrage
Association
Alice Paul founded the
Congressional Union.
The organization
employed militant tactics
including hunger strikes,
arrests and civil
disobedience.

29. Lucy Burns
The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 giving
women the right to vote in America.

30. Congress introduced the
Equal Rights Amendment
(ERA) in 1923.
Congress passed the ERA
in 1972, but the states
failed to approve it
within seven years.
Women’s issues include:
Domestic Violence,
Abortion, Pornography.

31. 1972 Education
Amendments: Gender
discrimination: Title IX states
no person in the United
States shall, on the basis of
sex, be excluded from
participation in; be denied
the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination
under any education
program or activity receiving
Federal financial assistance.

32. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 prohibits gender
discrimination.
In 1978 congress expanded
Title VII to include pregnancy.
The Supreme Court has ruled
it is the responsibility of the
employer to prevent sexual
harassment through
expansion of Title VII and
that harassment is covered in
Title VII.

33. US Population Projections

35. The Supreme Court (5-4)
somewhat upheld
Affirmative Action in 1978
(Bakke v. University of
California) but found for
Bakke citing reverse
discrimination if race is the
sole consideration.
States have since moved to
narrow Affirmative Action,
particularly with college
admissions.

36. 1990 Americans with
Disabilities : Requires all
public buildings and public
services be available to persons
with disabilities. This includes
car rental companies, telephone
companies, etc. Employers must
reasonably accommodate the
needs of persons with
disabilities who have physical or
mental disabilities that impair
everyday activities. Health
conditions that have been
considered disabilities under
federal law are protected.

37. Juvenile Rights
Immigration
Gay and Lesbian Rights
Transgender Rights
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Same Sex Marriage
Defense of Marriage Act
State’s recognition of Gay
Marriage
Child custody and adoption