POLS Civil Rights Exam #1 review

Which of the following amendments granted former slaves the right to vote (though it would be another century before they could fully access this right)? A. 2 B. 10 C. 14 D. 15

15

The commitment of northern Republicans to Reconstruction in the South waned after which of the following? A. An economic recession led to many Republican losses in the 1874 election. B. The rise of the Ku Klux Klan as an economic force in the northeast. C. African Americans began voting overwhelmingly for Democrats starting with the 1890 election. D. It never waned.

A. An economic recession led to many Republican losses in the 1874 election.

As a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which of the following happened? A. Both voter registration and election to office increased dramatically for African Americans. B. Even though voter registration increased dramatically for African Americans, election to office remained a functional impossibility. C. Neither voter registration nor election to office increased dramatically for African Americans. D. Ironically, while voter registration of African Americans did not substantially increase, African Americans were elected to office in unprecedented numbers.

A. Both voter registration and election to office increased dramatically for African Americans.

Which of the following statements is true? A. The first half-century of racial politics in the United States closely followed Madison's prediction of tyranny in the states unconstrained by national majorities. B. The first half-century of racial politics in the United States countered Madison's prediction of tyranny in the states unconstrained by national majorities. C. The Senate acted as a mediator and was able to initiate compromise between the Northern and Southern states. D. The winning strategy in dealing with the South was for northerners to focus on the plight of the slaves.

A. The first half-century of racial politics in the United States closely followed Madison's prediction of tyranny in the states unconstrained by national majorities.

The history of Black civil rights depended on: A. configuring politics to allow society's competing interests to check one another. B. government creating institutions to minimize collective action problems. C. the national veto of state laws. D. the simple ideas set forth by the Anti-Federalists.

A. configuring politics to allow society's competing interests to check one another.

It was difficult for African Americans to secure civil rights because national majorities found it difficult to control the federal government due to: A. separation of powers among three branches of government. B. relatively weak executive branch when compared to state governments. C. the ability of Congress to override an executive veto. D. the ability of the Supreme Court to check the other branches.

A. separation of powers among three branches of government.

The difference between civil liberties and civil rights is which of the following? A. Civil liberties are the rights afforded all Americans, civil rights are those special rights given minorities. B. Civil liberties are the Constitution's protections "from" government power, civil rights are the Constitution's protections provided "by" government power. C. Civil liberties are those rights protected by the Constitution, civil rights are those rights only protected by the state constitutions. D. Civil liberties are those rights protected by the state constitutions, civil rights are those rights only protected by the Constitution.

B. Civil liberties are the Constitution's protections "from" government power, civil rights are the Constitution's protections provided "by" government power.

Which of the following is true about the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision? A. It set precedent that was followed in Brown v. Board. B. The Court concurred that the federal government could not prevent slavery in the territories. C. The Court argued that the Constitution's Framers had intended African Americans to be citizens. D. The decision allowed South Carolina to leave the Union.

B. The Court concurred that the federal government could not prevent slavery in the territories.

In addition to excluding African Americans, the White primary effectively disenfranchised African Americans because of which of the following? A. There were rules in place that prohibited anyone who had not voted in the primary from voting in the general election. B. The South was solidly Democratic, so winning the Democratic primary was the same as winning the election. C. The South was solidly Republican, so winning the Republican primary was the same as winning the election. D. Citizens who did not vote in the primary were forced to pay a large fine in order to vote in the general election.

B. The South was solidly Democratic, so winning the Democratic primary was the same as winning the election.

Civil liberties are best described as: A. the rights afforded all Americans. B. the Constitution's protections "from" government power. C. the Constitution's protections provided "by" government power. D. the rights protected by state constitutions.

B. the Constitution's protections "from" government power.

Which of the following was responsible for the collapse of the Missouri compromise? A. the Wilmot proviso B. the underground railroad C. Jim Crow Laws D. the Dred Scott decision

B. the underground railroad

People do not engage in costly behavior without some expected return. Madison, recognizing that citizens and politicians alike act most forcefully when they have a personal stake in the outcome, believed that tyranny could best be avoided by empowering every faction to look out for its own interests. The problem for African Americans was: A. they were uninterested in looking out for their own interests. B. they were a faction without the capacity to defend themselves. C. those delegated to looking out for their interests were not acting as faithful agents. D. none of these

B. they were a faction without the capacity to defend themselves.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) found that the admission quota system used in implementing affirmative action policies: A. violated the due process clause in the constitution. B. violated the equal protection clause in the constitution. C. was not in the compelling interest of affirmative action. D. violated the provisions of the Civil Rights Act.

B. violated the equal protection clause in the constitution.

The Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka is most notable for which of the following reasons? A. It sparked the immediate desegregation of public facilities across the South. B. It was completely ignored by the executive and legislative branches. C. It struck down the separate but equal doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson. D. It marked the Supreme Court's first acceptance of the Tenth Amendment.

C. It struck down the separate but equal doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson.

Which of the following was the rationale behind the Missouri Compromise of 1820? A. The parties compromised so the balance in the executive's cabinet between free and slave states would be maintained. B. The parties compromised so the balance in the House of Representatives between free and slave states would be maintained. C. The parties compromised so the balance in the Senate between free and slave states would be maintained. D. The parties compromised so the balance on the Supreme Court between free and slave states would be maintained.

C. The parties compromised so the balance in the Senate between free and slave states would be maintained.

Reconstruction can best be characterized as: A. a massive and successful social and economic reconstruction of the South. B. at its roots, a philanthropic endeavor. C. a partisan purpose put forth by the Republican Party. D. a goal to rebuild the damaged buildings in Southern cities following the Civil War.

C. a partisan purpose put forth by the Republican Party.

Civil rights in colonial times roughly amounted to protections against arbitrary action by the distant British Crown and can be thought of as: A. civil liberties. B. limited government. C. civic rights. D. tyranny.

C. civic rights.

The difference between de facto segregation and de jure segregation is that: A. de facto segregation comes about as a result of racial differences, de jure segregation comes about as a result of cultural differences. B. de facto and de jure segregation are both imposed by law, but the outcomes are different. C. de facto segregation is not mandated by law, de jure segregation is mandated by law. D. de facto segregation is mandated by law, de jure segregation is not mandated by law.

C. de facto segregation is not mandated by law, de jure segregation is mandated by law.

Early feminists called themselves "suffragists" because: A. they claimed to be suffering because of legal inequality B. they were also active in the abolition movement and argued that alcohol caused a great deal of suffering in society C. one important issue for them was campaigning for the vote D. one important issue for them was the suffering caused by slavery

C. one important issue for them was campaigning for the vote

Which of the following describes the 1970 extension of the Voting Rights Act? A. Ballots be available in Mandarin Chinese where at least 5 % of the population is Chinese. B. Ballots be optically scanned to ensure a proper count. C. Ballots be printed in English only, the official language of the United States. D. Ballots be available in Spanish where at least 5% of the population is Hispanic.

D. Ballots be available in Spanish where at least 5% of the population is Hispanic.

Which of the following helped the civil rights movement overcome their collective action problems when the switched from a litigation strategy to one of mass mobilization? A. abolitionists from the north B. local politicians C. leaders of the NAACP D. Black southern preachers

D. Black southern preachers

How did the civil rights movement solve the collective action problem when they shifted from litigation to mass demonstration in their strategy? A. emerge of key leaders B. creating institutions to force participation C. relying on local news organizations to encourage participation D. none of these

emerge of key leaders

The Supreme Court ruled in Romer v. Evans that Colorado law violated the ______ clause of the Constitution. A. equal protection B. supremacy C. elastic D. necessary and proper clause

equal protection

Affirmative Action policies require the hiring, admission, or promotion of a minority over a non-minority in areas with a history of discrimination despite qualifications.

false

Civil rights and the defense of civil rights are terms coined only for African Americans.

false

Despite the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, was not integrated until the early 1980s.

false

The 1965 Voting Rights Act authorized the Justice Department, under certain circumstances, to send federal officers into communities to directly register voters. Madison would have objected to this policy under his goal of preventing a national veto power over state laws.

false

The collective action problems faced by the civil rights movement involved too many participants and too few resources.

false

Laws that institutionalized segregation in public parks, restrooms, and housing (among other places) are examples of: A. Black codes B. Dred Scott codes C. Jim Crow laws D. racial profiling

jim crow laws

Which of the following is an example of the NAACPs concern over long-standing Supreme Court doctrine requiring that plaintiffs prove a law's discriminatory intent rather than simply demonstrate a bias in its effect? A. racial profiling B. hate crimes C. black codes D. poll tax

poll tax

occurs when law enforcement officers identify suspects primarily on the basis of race or ethnicity. A. Affirmative action B. De facto segregation C. De jure segregation D. Racial profiling

racial profiling

Affirmative action refers to a policy that required those employers and schools that had practiced past discrimination to compensate minorities (and subsequently, women) by giving them special consideration in hiring and school admissions.

true

Affirmative action represents a policy that required employers and schools that had practiced past discrimination to compensate minorities (and subsequently, women) by giving them special consideration in hiring and school admissions.

true

Black Southern Preachers emerged as leaders in the civil rights movement and helped overcome the collective action problem the movement encountered in shifting strategy from litigation to mass demonstrations.

true

Civil rights are protections the government secures on behalf of its citizens.

true

Civil rights require governments to act, whereas civil liberties are well served when the government does nothing.

true

In 2009, Congress expanded federal hate crimes protections to cover gays.

true

Local police chief, Eugene "Bull" Connor, made Birmingham an appealing area for a protest because it would provide a graphic display of the institutional violence that enforced segregation.

true

Madison, who recognized that people act most forcefully when they have a stake in the outcome, believed tyranny could best be avoided by empowering every faction to look out for its own interests.

true

Plessy v. Ferguson established on a national level the separate but equal doctrine, which officially sanctioned segregation throughout the South.

true

Smith v. Allwright resulted in the end of White primary laws because race was the primary criterion for discrimination the laws violated the Fifteenth Amendment.

true

The Democratic administration's high-profile sponsorship of civil rights laws led to its emergence as a major campaign issue in the 1964 presidential election.

true

The Democratic party took advantage of a change in public opinion during the 1960s to become the party of civil rights.

true

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 outlawed refusal to rent or sell housing on grounds of race or religion, but exempted citizens who rented or sold their homes without using a real estate agent.

true

The additional airport screening of Arab-looking males following 9/11 is an example of racial profiling.

true

The effort to secure civil rights rested less on making formal rules—which Madison noted had little impact on intemperate majorities—and more on configuring politics to allow society's competing interests to check one another.

true

The fugitive slave law is an example of a compromise the South used with the admittance of California into the Union. They lost the ability to block legislation in the Senate, but Northerners would have to honor southerners' property claims to slaves.

true

The reservation of power to the states to determine voting eligibility and the fragmented constitutional system are two major obstacles faced by African Americans in securing civil rights.

true

The underground railroad was a network of abolitionists who hid slaves and provided them transportation northward and out of slavery.

true

Voting is an example of a civil right.

true