NAME:
CLASS BLOCK:
CHAPTER FIVE ASSIGNMENT
AP U.S. Government and Politics: Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy
Directions:
- Answer the following questions in short-answer essay format – complete sentences, concise but articulate answers, check your spelling before you finish, and as always, DO YOUR OWN WORK IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
- Your answers must be indented, typed in bold, blue-color, Times New Roman, 12-point font, single-spaced. Leave one blank line between your answer and the next question. Please use this format in this assignment and all similar assignments in this course.
- Be sure to be specific, using terms and vocabulary from this chapter in the Government in America textbook. Through your answers, prove to your instructor and yourself that you’ve done the reading and that you understand the concepts.
- When it is appropriate, use specific examples that are relevant to the question (using examples from contemporary news reports is most helpful, here).
Chapter 5 Questions for Review
By the end of this chapter on Civil Rights and Public Policy, the folks who create the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam that (hopefully) you will be taking in May hope believe you will understand the historical and constitutional basis of the struggle for equal rights.
1. Define the term “civil rights.”
2. What are the three types of inequality in America?
a.
b.
c.
3. Explain the two major conceptions of equality.
a.
b.
4. What is the only mention of the idea of equality in the Constitution?
5. Explain the Supreme Court’s three standards for classifications under the Equal Protection Clause and give an example of each.
Court’s Standard for Classifications Under the Equal Protection Clause / ExampleAnother learning objective of this course is that students will understand the struggle for equality for African Americans in terms of three historical eras, the Constitution, and public policy.
6. Complete the following table listing the three eras of the struggle for African American equality, the major policy focus during each era, major court cases and their importance in each era, and any acts of Congress or constitutional amendments passed during each era.
Historical Era / Policy Focus / Court Cases / Acts/Amendments7. Briefly describe the ruling of the Supreme Court in each of the following cases, and explain why each ruling was so very significant.
Supreme Court Case / Ruling of the Court / Significance- Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857
- Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, 1954
9. Define the following terms:
a. de jure segregation:
b. de facto segregation:
10. List six major provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
11. List and explain four ways in which the southern states denied African Americans the right to vote.
a.
b.
c.
d.
12. What was the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
13. List three minority groups, other than African Americans, that have faced similar discrimination.
Students will need to be able to describe how women have gained civil rights and what equality issues remain important for women today.
14. Explain the policy of “protectionism.”
15. What was the Equal Rights Amendment? What political party and interest groups in society supported it? What political party and interest groups in society opposed it?
a. The Equal Rights Amendment was
b. These groups supported the ERA:
c. These groups opposed the ERA:
16. In the table below, list the titles and dates of four Supreme Court cases that dealt with sex- or gender-based discrimination, and explain the significance of the rulings by the Court.
Supreme Court Case, Date / Ruling of the Court / Significance17. How has Congress attempted to end sex- or gender-based discrimination in the area of employment? (Include laws passed by Congress.)
18. What is meant by “comparable worth”?
19. List two ways in which women are legally treated differently in the military.
a.
b.
20. How has the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of sexual harassment?
A learning objective of this course is to ensure that students can identify and describe the newer groups in the civil rights movement.
21. In what ways are the elderly and the young discriminated against in American society?
22. What are the main provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?
a. The main provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972 are
b. The main provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are
23. Why do gays and lesbians face the toughest battle for equality?
For the test in class and the APGovPol Exam in May, students will need to understand the controversy over the issue of affirmative action.
24. Define the term “affirmative action.”
25. In the table below, list four Supreme Court cases in which the justices’ ruling seems to support affirmative action, and four cases in which the ruling seems to oppose affirmative action. Briefly explain the justices’ ruling in each case.
Support Affirmative ActionTitle and Date of Case / Ruling In This Case
Oppose Affirmative Action
Title and Date of Case / Ruling In This Case
Students enrolled in APGovPol and those taking the Exam in May will need to understand the impact of civil rights on democracy and the scope of government.
26. How does the guarantee of equality threaten the guarantee of liberty in American society?
27. How do civil rights laws increase the scope and power of government?
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