Civil Rights: A History of Ensuring Equal Protection and Preventing Discrimination
Directions: Each topic below is hyperlinked to take you to a site where you will discover how the US government has handled the issue of civil rights. Note that much of this assignment is geared towards the Civil Rights Movements (1950s & 1960s)—this is because it is a topic that appears often on the AP exam (e.g. 2008), this does not mean that other groups of people are less important or that their fight for civil rights has not been as difficult.
I. Civil War Amendments:
1. What was the purpose of the 13th Amendment?
2. What were Black Codes? Describe the purpose of their usage.
3. What was the original purpose of the 14th Amendment?
4. How was the “due process clause” of the 14th Amendment used to decide the following Supreme Court cases:
A. Lochner v. New York (1905)
B. Roe v. Wade (1973)
5. How was the “equal protection clause” of the 14th Amendment used to decide Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)? Describe the “separate but equal doctrine”.
6. How did the Supreme Court justify the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)?
7. What was the intent of the 15th Amendment? Explain how the Voting Rights Act (1965) strengthened the 15th Amendment.
II. The Civil Rights Movement:
1. What methods were used by Civil Rights activists to bring attention to their cause?
2. Describe the contributions made by the following individuals in the Civil Rights Movement:
A. W.E.B. DuBois:
B. A. Philip Randolph:
C. Martin Luther King Jr.:
D. Fannie Lou Hamer:
III. The Truman Era:
1. Summarize President Harry Truman’s role in ensuring the equal protection of African Americans.
IV. The Eisenhower Era:
1. Why was Eisenhower given the nickname “The New Emancipator”?
2. Describe how Eisenhower’s appointment of Earl Warren played a vital role in the Brown decision.
3. How did cities in the South respond to the Brown decision?
4. Define de jure segregation.
V. The Kennedy-Johnson Era:
1. What are the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
2. List the protections provided under the 24th Amendment. Describe the relationship between the 24th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
3. What protections are included in the Civil Rights Act of 1968?
VI. Affirmative Action:
1. What are the goals of Affirmative Action programs?
2. List some of the arguments against the use of Affirmative Action programs.
3. What were Allan Bakke’s arguments against the use of Affirmative Action? Describe how the Supreme Court decided the Bakke case.
4. List the Supreme Court’s decision in
A. Grutter v. Bollinger (2001):
B. Gratz v. Bollinger (2001):
5. History of Affirmative Actionà Summarize how each of the following presidents affected the use of Affirmative Action in the federal government
A. John F. Kennedy:
B. Lyndon B. Johnson:
C. Richard M. Nixon:
D. William J. Clinton:
6. Make a list of alternative methods that promote diversity instead of controversial Affirmative Action programs. Do you fancy any of these methods? Eplain.
VII. Women’s Rights:
A. The Early Movement:
1. What role did the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) play in the fight for women’s rights?
2. Describe the purpose of the 19th Amendment.
B. The Modern Movement:
1. What is the goal of the group, National Organization for Women (NOW)?
2. What was the purpose of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment? Why did the amendment not get ratified?
3. What is Title IX? How did this law change female equality in public schools?
4. What does the term “glass ceiling” mean? How does the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Law (2009) promote equality in the workplace?
VIII. Senior Citizen/Disabled Persons Rights:
1. Describe the future demographic trends of older Americans [65 years and older].
2. Explain the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967.
3. What is the purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)? What does the phrase “undue hardship” mean?
4. What protections are in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
IX. Juvenile Rights:
1. What is the purpose of the 26th Amendment?
2. Define “zero-tolerance policy”.
3. How did each of these Supreme Court cases affect the rights of students?
A. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969):
B. New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985):
C. Morse v. Frederick (2007):
X. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Rights:
1. How did each of the following Supreme Court cases expand/limit the rights of the LGBT community?
A. Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000):
B. Lawrence v. Texas (2003):
2. Explain how the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy works.
3. Gay Marriage
A. Compare/Contrast the differences between gay marriage & civil union. How does the Defense of Marriage Act (1996) accommodate the different views by different states on the status of gay marriage and civil unions?
B. What is California’s Proposition 8? Why is it so controversial?
C. Make a list of states that allow gay marriage; a list that allows civil unions; a list that bans gay marriage.
D. Make a list including some of the countries that allow gay marriage; a list that allows civil unions; a list that bans gay marriage.
Countries that Allow Gay Marriage / Countries that Allow Civil Unions / Countries that Ban Gay MarriageIV. Immigration Rights:
1. Describe in a few statements how immigration is connected to US history.
2. Describe the precedent created by Plyler v Doe (1982).
3. List the major provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
4. What message is the author making in this cartoon?
5. The Dream Act:
A. List the key provisions of the Dream Act.
B. Summarize the qualifications one would need to have in order to apply to receive the benefits of the Dream Act.
C. Identify some of the arguments against ratifying the Dream Act.
D. Explain why the Dream Act did not become law in late 2010.
6. Arizona Law SB1070:
A. List the major provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 law.
B. Why is Arizona’s SB 1070 legislation so controversial (need headphones)?
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