PSCI 2306 exam 3
What were the major factors that underlay the Second Women's Rights Movement (the 1960s)?
1. Election of President Kennedy 2. Publication of Betty Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique 3. Oral Contraceptives 4. Effects of the civil rights movement -Betty Friedman book - The feminine Masque -President Kennedy -oral contraceptive -The effect of Civil war movement -Kennedy election (change), publication of The Feminine Mystique oral contraceptives (the pill), the civil rights movement
When was the equal protection clause applied to women by the Supreme Court?
1971
What is a term of Congress? What is a session? What term and session are we currently in?
-A term of Congress lasts two years. It begins in an odd-numbered year (like 2021) and ends in an even-numbered year (2022). -Each year is called a session. We are in the first session of the 117th Congress. The 117th Congress began in January 2021 and will end at the end of 2022.
Why are Latinos/ Hispanics such an important and powerful group in the United States?
-Latino/a Americans are the nation's largest and fastest growing minority group. -In 2020 the Hispanic population was 60.6 million people, making up 18.5 percent of the population. -In 1980, with a population of 14.8 million, Latinos made up just 6.5% of the total U.S. population. -California has 15.5 million Latino residents, Texas has 11.5 million, and Florida has 5.6 million. -These three states account for 55 percent of the Latino population in the United States. -Nationwide, Latinos cast 16.6 million votes in 2020, an increase of 30.9% over the 2016 presidential election. -Latinos make up 30 percent of the electorate in Texas, with about 5.6 million voters. -Latino voters are clearly an important, influential group within the electorate.
What was Bloody Sunday?
-March from Selma to Montgomery where peaceful civil rights protesters were brutalized by police -March from Selma to Montgomery with about 600 marchers was broken up by Alabama State Troopers
What is the attitude of a majority of Americans toward same-sex marriage?
-In Pew Research Center polling in 2004, Americans opposed same-sex marriage by a margin of 60% to 31%. -Support for same-sex marriage has steadily grown over the past 15 years. In a survey announced on October 21, 2020, 70 percent of Americans support same sex marriage while 28 percent oppose it (NBC News). -67% of Americans supported same-sex marriage, 31% opposed, and 2% had no opinion
How did the availability of oral contraceptives affect the women's rights movement and society in general?
-It allowed women to be able to control their fertility. -Sparked the Sexual Revolution -Women no longer tied to pregnancy and children but instead controlled their own fertility. -Changed focus to careers, education for women and less on marriage
How did the March from Selma to Montgomery affect voting rights? What did the President do after the March to call attention to the voting issues of black Americans?
-Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama. -Selma to Montgomery March was key factor. -President Johnson asked Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act. In his address, he used the phrase, "We shall overcome."
What were the exceptions to the Equal Pay Act of 1963?
-Merit, productivity, seniority women and men have to receive equal pay for equal work, with exceptions for merit, productivity, and seniority
What does feminization of poverty refer to?
-Most single-parent families are headed by women, and one in three lives below the poverty line. -Cost of child care obviously an issue. -1 in 8 women live in poverty; 1 in 17 in extreme poverty High incidence of poverty in female-headed families High poverty in female-headed families
How did the Fourteenth Amendment address the issue in the Dred Scott case?
-Overturned the case and granted citizenship to those born in the U.S, no matter the race -It gave citizenship to people who are born in the U.S. SC said that slaves were only seen as property, so SC said that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories as slaves are property and Congress cannot interfere with property rights. How did the Fourteenth Amendment address the issue in the Dred Scott case? -It defined citizenship for slaves. Slaves became people, not property.
Be sure to review the many ways that Native Americans/American Indians have suffered mistreatment in the United States.
-The history of treatment of American Indians is a long, sad story: violence, destruction, theft of land, forced relocations, violation of treaties, poverty, assimilation, isolation, and other forms of mistreatment by federal policies and laws. -Today, there are about two million full-blooded Native Americans, including Alaskans. -Indian tribes are considered distinct governments within the U.S.
What are LULAC and MALDEF?
-The political influence of Latinos is often expressed through the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. -LULAC—League of United Latin American Citizens (Slide 65) -MALDEF—Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Slide 65)
Who was Eleanor Roosevelt?
FDR's wife and First Lady -Wife of FDR, feminist, helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for United Nations Commission on Human Rights
What was the purpose of the lunch counter sit-ins and where did they take place? Please review the details of the sit-ins.
Greensboro, North Carolina. Freshman college students sat down at a white only dinner counter. They were refused service and told to leave, they didn't leave. Increased number of students came every day. City enhanced very strict rules against the students, which spread to other counties/states. Many sit ins started happening throughout the nation. The students were peaceful, other people were not. -In Greensboro, North Carolina college students sat a segregated diner counter
What were Jim Crow laws?
Laws passed to create a segregated society. Laws requiring segregation of public schools and facilities. -Jim Crow laws created segregated societies—shopping districts, hospitals, brothels, churches, hotels and motels, restaurants, and much more. -Laws (known as Jim Crow laws) were passed to create a segregated society
What happened to the Equal Rights Amendment? Who opposed its ratification?
Proposed but not ratified: The Equal Rights Amendment -Didn't receive necessary state approvals by 1979 -Phyllis Schlafly mobilized conservative women in opposition -Proposed by Congress for 50yrs. -In 1972 35/38 states ratified the amendment. -It's not ratified and it's not part of the constitution. -Catholic churches are opposed to the constitution -It's not part of the constitution Fell 3 states short
What is the meaning of the term Hispanic?
Refers to a place of origin rather than a race or ethnicity. Hispanics come from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the countries of Central and South America that were settled by Spain and once referred to as Hispania.
Why is the cost of child care of concern to many people?
The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), but prices range from $3,582 to $18,773 a year ($300 to $1,564 monthly), according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). -Very expensive - Wash DC ($22K/year), Mass ($17K), Minn ($14K)... and impacts single women heavily. -its expensive and unreliable
How did Southern States react to the ruling in the Brown case? What seemed to persuade many school districts to finally integrate?
Southern states did not comply with the ruling and kept on with segregation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 cut off funding to schools still practicing segregation -Tried to resist the ruling. -Efforts to shut down public schools to prevent integration -By 1964 (ten years after Brown decision), 98 percent of black children in the South still attended all black schools. -Civil Rights Act of 1964 cut off federal aid to school districts still practicing segregation. Many did not integrated, and federal government withheld highway funds unless they desegregated
How did the poll tax in Texas work?
Texas had a poll tax of $1.50 from 1902-1964 that had to be paid by January 31st for the rest of the year Pay tax to vote. Abolished by Congress and for state elections by Supreme Court -From 1902-1964, Texas had a poll tax of $1.50 that had to be paid by January 31st for the rest of the year. -Poll taxes in federal elections were abolished by Congress in 1964 and for state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966. -Getting rid of the poll tax was a factor in increased voter registration. In Texas, voter registration rose by about 41 percent between 1964 and 1968
What was the constitutional basis of the law that required integration of places of public accommodation?
The section Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation because of race, color, religion, or national origin. Places of public accommodation are hotels, motels, restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums, and concert halls.
What law made segregated public accommodations illegal?
Civil Rights Act of 1964
What civil rights law made it illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of race and ethnicity in housing?
Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, or national origin.
What were white primaries?
a primary election in which only white people were allowed to vote in -In 1923, the Texas legislature passed a law that no black citizen could participate in the Democratic Party Primary. -Realizing the law was clearly unconstitutional, in 1927, the Texas legislature said that the Democratic Party could decide who could vote in its primaries, and the party immediately said "all white Democrats.." could vote. -In 1944, in the case of Smith v. Allwright, the Supreme Court ruled that the Texas law letting the Democratic Party decide who would vote was unconstitutional.
What is it called when the House of Representatives brings charges against the president or other high official?
impeachment
What is steering when it comes to housing?
influencing a buyer's choice of communities based upon the buyer's race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status, or national origin.
What kind of bills must originate in the House of Representatives?
revenue bills
1. How many members are there of the Texas House? The Texas Senate?
senate - 31 members House - 150 members
Who conducts the trial on impeachment charges?
the senate
Please review the basic facts we covered about the Texas legislature.
•Following each Census, the Texas House and Senate must also be reapportioned and redistricted. •We call this the "one person, one vote" rule. •Texas has a bicameral legislature. The Senate has 31 members, and the House has 150 members. •The Texas Constitution limits the legislature to meeting every other year (odd-numbered years) and then no more than 140 days. •Only the governor can call the Texas legislature into special session and that official also specifies what will be on the agenda of any such session.
What are some of the big issues facing Texas?
•Funding of state universities •Residents without insurance •Immigration/border security •Redistricting after the Census •Funding of public education
Who can call a special session of the Texas legislature?
•Only the governor can call the Texas legislature into special session and that official also specifies what will be on the agenda of any such session.
What is the House Rules Committee and what does it do?
•The House Rules Committee: Sets the rules for debate in the House. •The House Rules Committee was created in 1789, so it is one of the oldest committees in Congress. - controls debate by setting rules up
What are the meeting limits imposed by the Texas Constitution?
•The Texas Constitution limits the legislature to meeting every other year (odd-numbered years) and then no more than 140 days.
What do we call the geographic areas that House members represent?
congressional districts
What is the total membership of the House? Why and how does it stay at that number?
-435 - congress enacted a law in 1910 to freeze the number -for one state to gain a member, another must lose one
Be sure to know the three Amendments adopted after the Civil War and the subject of each of them.
- 13th: Outlawed slavery (banned slavery) - 14th: Defined slavery (citizenship) - 15th: gave newly freed men the right to vote (right to vote (suffrage)
What is it called when the 435 seats in the House are reallocated? After what event does that reallocation of House membership take place?
- Congressional reapportionment. -The reallocation happens after the census. -After the census, the 435 seats have to be reallocated. Some states gain members in the House, while some lose members. That is what we call reapportionment. -As a result, House seats have to be reallocated. Some states lose, some states gain. The balance of power in the Electoral College can be shifted. Texas typically adds seats.
What is the Equal Protection Clause and where is it found? To whom does it apply?
- Found in the Fourteenth Amendment. (section I) - Can't deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws. (provides that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws".) -If a person is a citizen by naturalization or born the govt. can't deprive his/her life, liberty, and property without due process.
Please be sure to review the entire process by which a bill becomes law. For example, know that bills are referred to committee, hearings may be held, the bill may be marked up, etc.
- Introduction, assigned a designation number - referral to committee - committee action - referral to full body - floor and debate vote - conference committee - brought back to the floor for debate - president
We began this topic with music. Who is/was Pete Seeger and what civil rights song is associated with him?
- Pete Seeger was known as a voice of struggle & hope. -song: We Shall Overcome -"Where have all the flowers gone" -"If I had a hammer"
Who is the Speaker of the House and why is that official so powerful?
- Speaker of the House:Nancy Pelosi -Power is centralized around the Speaker. -The Speaker of the House is elected by the body, and is always of the dominant party. -The Speaker is next in line for the presidency after the VP.
What important ruling did the SC make in the Brown v. Board of Education case? What was the language used by the Court?
- The Supreme Court began ruling on a different question: can separate but equal ever be equal? In this case, the Supreme Court answered that question by saying no: "We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
What are the advantages of being the incumbent?
- They may start with a political advantage -incumbents can raise money more easily than challengers - they try to get benefits for their district - they pursue a service a strategy for constituents
Who was Rosa Parks?
- activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. - First Lady of civil rights -Activist most known for refusing to sit in the back of the bus (Montgomery Bus Boycott)
What are the disadvantages of being the incumbent?
- angry voters - scandals - effects of elections: turnout issues, presidential candidates
What does it mean to say that redistricting has taken place? Who is in charge of that process in most states?
- congressional districts must be the same in population, lines for districts must be redrawn. - state legislators are in charge. •Then, since Congressional districts must be approximately the same in population, the lines for Congressional districts must be redrawn. •This is the job of each State, typically by state legislators, although some states have other methods like commissions. •That is called redistricting.
What do we mean when we say that the legislative process has multiple vetoes?
- presidential veto: put it in a pile of papers from which it is never seen again. - Conduct hearings and rewrite the bill. - Approve it, and send it on to the House Rules Committee, or, in the Senate, to the full body to schedule debate. There are multiple places where vetos can kill a bill
What are some factors that account for how a member votes on a bill?
- your political party - your vote may be influenced by the president - the views of your constituents may help you decide how to vote. - interest groups may be watching for your vote to see if your support their views .-your personal values will be an influence
What law is the most important for Americans with disabilities? How does that law relate to the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
-1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act -extends the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to persons with disabilities. -The law also requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees. Students are also covered by this law.
What was the purpose of the Education Act Amendments of 1972 (Title IX)?
-Barring any discrimination based on sex in admissions, student financial aid, or athletics. -prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. 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
What happened legally to a woman when she married?
-Became property of the man and all assets -Women wanted the right to speak against slavery, but were often not allowed. -Women could not vote, could not own or control wages they earned, could not get a divorce, and could not inherit. -she can't get divorce can't have her wages and inherit
What were Black Codes?
-Black codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the Civil War. -Laws enacted to limit the new freedom of black Americans after the civil war -Southern States revived remnants of slavery, like black codes, and created all kinds of devices to keep blacks (and poor whites, sometimes) from voting: literacy tests, poll taxes, and white primaries.
How did the legal question in Brown v. Board of Education differ from the legal questions in earlier rulings such as Sweatt v. Painter?
-Can separate but equal EVER be equal? The other rulings were "is this ruling equal?" -Brown v. Board ruled that separate is inherently unequal -court concluded that public education, the doctrine "separate of equal" has no place. Separate facilities are unequal.
What are some of the factors that have to be considered when district lines are being redrawn?
-Contiguity: physically adjacent -Compactness: minimize distance -Community of interest: groups with common political, social, or economic interests -Political boundaries
What is DACA? What is the common characteristic of persons covered by DACA?
-Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) -Created by President Obama for persons who came to U.S. as minors (under age 16) -About 690,000 young adults are currently protected under the DACA program and officials are processing more than 34,000 additional first-time applications. (CNN, Oct. 26, 2017)
When and why were Mexican workers invited to come to the U.S. to work? What ultimately happened each time?
-During WW I; 1932: U.S. began deporting Mexican citizens. Between 300,000 and 500,000 were forced out -1940s agriculture workers called braceros; 1954-58: About 3.8 million were deported in about four years. -after that they would get deported
Please review the laws we discussed that were enacted in the 1960s and 1970s to benefit women.
-Equal Pay Act of 1963—women and men have to receive equal pay for equal work, with exceptions for merit, productivity, and seniority -Education Act Amendments of 1972 -Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 -Proposed but not ratified: The Equal Rights Amendment -Equal Pay Act of 1963—women and men have to receive equal pay for equal work, with exceptions for merit, productivity, and seniority -Education Act Amendments of 1972 - AKA Title IX -Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974- illegal to discriminate on credit based on race, color...sex (Slide 31)
What is a filibuster and what was its original purpose? How can a filibuster be ended?
-Filibuster is a Senate Tool -The Filibuster may be used by those in the minority to kill (or more likely, modify) a bill. -The Senate may end a filibuster by the process of cloture. It takes 60 Senators to end a filibuster.
Who is Ruby Bridges?
-First child to integrate schools in New Orleans. -She was accompanied by U.S. Marshalls.
What is gerrymandering? What is its purpose?
-Gerrymandering refers to drawing lines in a way that protects or changes political power. It is seen as deliberate and unfair.
Be able to list some of the continuing concerns of women in the United States.
-Getting women elected to nation's highest offices -Women's salaries are still not equal to those of men -Childcare is expensive and often unreliable -High incidence of poverty in female-headed families
What do we mean when we say that a distinction is invidious?
-Harmful discrimination (race, gender, ethnicity) -The government classifies people all the time in harmless and harmful ways. Harmful ways are known as invidious. -Examples of invidious classifying would be classifying by race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender (sometimes), sexual orientation, and political views - Invidious=Harmful
What are some important issues of the LGBTQ community?
-Hate crimes -Same sex marriage -Civil right protections for jobs, etc -Serve in military
Who was Jimmie Lee Jackson?
-He was an upcoming leader in the civil rights movement. The police were at the church to break up the meeting of the civil rights activists. His family ran to a nearby diner where in trying to protect his grandfather and mother from abuse by the police, he was shot. -shot by a star trooper during the Marion night march
What is patriarchy? What are some facts that show our society is patriarchal? What are the origins of patriarchy?
-Oxford Dictionary: A system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male. A system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. -Patriarchy is a form of social organization in which the man is recognized as the head of the family. -Patriarchy is the dominant legal, religious, and cultural view in the world today. -Rooted in Judeo-Christian Heritage and the English Common Law -Origins: religion, English common law, romantic paternalism (idea that women must be protected by the man) -Fact: When it comes to paychecks, the United States ranks 65th in wage equality for similar work, according to a World Economic Forum study of 142 countries. (Slide 5) -Fact: Earnings: Women have the lowest earnings in Mississippi ($31,300 median annual earnings), Arkansas ($32,000), and Montana ($33,000). (Slide 5) -Judeo-Christian Heritage that places men above women. (Slide 17)
What did the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 do?
-Pressed women's rights and end of slavery. Advocated for women to have the right to vote. -demanded equal social status and legal rights for women, including the right to vote. -Concerned about lack of right to vote, heavy family responsibilities, and lack of educational opportunity -Mott and Stanton were leaders -Issued declaration of sentiments, including call for right to vote.
What did the Supreme Court say about the new separate law school that Texas created for black students (Sweatt v. Painter).
-Rather than admit Heman Sweatt to the University of Texas Law School, the State set up a separate law school for him. -The Supreme Court ruled that Sweatt had to be admitted to the UT Law School, as the newly established school was inferior in quality to the one already in existence. -The law school created for Sweatt in Texas exists today as the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. -They are inferior than the ones that exist Heman Sweatt was refused admission into UT and the school instead built a separate law school. SCOTUS ruled the new facility was separate but unequal and therefore unconstitutional
Be sure to understand each of the following concepts and when each was important: Romantic Paternalism, Protectionism.
-Romantic Paternalism—Idea that women had to be protected from the cruelties of life. Men were to protect women, and laws supported that view. -Protectionism - As nation industrialized, laws were enacted to protect women from the harmful effects of the workplace, failed marriages, etc. Women should be protected by men. -Romantic Paternalism- the man is responsible to take care of the woman from the cruciality of the world. -Protectionism- Women could work outside of home and they were protected at work.
Please review the details of the filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
-Southern Senators filibustered the bill. •At that time, it took 67 Senators to vote to end a filibuster, which is called cloture. -A filibuster is a political procedure where one or more members of parliament or congress debate over a proposed piece of legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision being made on the proposal. -The filibuster that threatened to derail the civil rights bill in 1964 was not led by the opposition party, but by an opposing faction within the majority party. -To invoke cloture on the civil rights bill, Democratic proponents of the bill needed strong Republican support. Southern senators filibustered the bill. It took 67 senators to vote to end the filibuster.
What are the president's options when he receives a bill from Congress?
-The President can sign it. -The President can veto it. -The President can hold it for ten days, after which it becomes law if Congress is still in session or dies, if Congress has adjourned sine die.
Please review these three tests including when they are used: rational basis test, strict scrutiny, and heightened (intermediate) scrutiny.
-The Rational Basis Test. Is this classification rational? The burden is on the person who objects to the classification to show why it is not. -The Strict Scrutiny Test. This test applies when laws or practices divide people by race. Those passing such a law or using such a practice must show that it serves a compelling government interest. -Intermediate (or Heightened) Scrutiny Test: This is the in-between category. Dividing people by sex is in this category, thereby allowing for men and women to be treated differently in certain instances, like the military draft. Such classifications must serve an important government purpose. ----------------------------- Rational basis test: court determines whether a law is rationally related to legitimate government interest, social security, voting age Strict scrutiny: divide people by race, constitutional equal protection Heightened (Intermediate) Scrutiny Test: discriminated based on gender or sex (gay
Be sure to review the details of internment of Japanese Americans and the legal context of their treatment. What has happened since?
-They were sent to internment camp then the gov apologized. give them money and passed Civil Liberties Act -Interned during WW2 - supreme court ruled legal even though 2/3 were Americans -1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act which apologized for the internment and paid reparations Asian Americans were singled out in the 19thcentury for discrimination in the law. For example, Chinese were actually excluded from entering the U.S. in 1882. The situation for Americans of Japanese descent went downhill as the war opened and they were sent to internment camps. Two-thirds of those interned were American citizens. The SC upheld these camps in 1944. In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act which apologized for the internment and paid reparations to their families.
Why was the case of Plessy v. Ferguson so important?
-Where the Supreme Court approved segregated facilities. -"Separate but equal" -"The constitution is color blind" Even though segregation was not equal at all. - Plessy v. Ferguson is an important case because: 1. It ended so-called Black Codes in Southern States. 2. It ruled that segregated facilities are legal. 3. It overturned separate but equal. 4. It called for an end to Jim Crow Laws.
How did the English Common Law view women?
-Women are legally inferior -"the husband and the wife are one, and that one is the husband"
How are women affected by poverty? How does that affect children?
-Women are more likely to be in poverty than men. -More than one in eight women, more than 16.9 million, lived in poverty in 2015. -More than 2 in 5 (45.7 percent) of these women lived in extreme poverty, defined as income at or below 50 percent of the federal poverty level. This means nearly 1 in 16 women lived in extreme poverty last year. Women (13.4 percent) were 35 percent more likely than men (9.9 percent) to live in poverty in 2015. -Women were also more likely than men to be in extreme poverty: 6.1 percent of women versus 4.4 percent of men lived in extreme poverty in 2015. -Affects children that are children to single mothers. Over half of all poor children lived in families headed by women. -Childcare is expensive and often unreliable -High incidence of poverty in female-headed families (Feminization of poverty) -The poverty rate for female-headed families with children was 35.6 percent, compared to 17.3 percent for male-headed families with children and 6.6 percent of families with children headed by married couples.
Who was Betty Friedan and why is she important? What was Friedan's argument about women and life satisfaction?
-Wrote the The Feminine Mystique- book about how women are unhappy just being a housewife. "feminine mystique"—the idea that women were naturally fulfilled by devoting their lives to being housewives and mothers. -Women were dissatisfied with their role home housewife women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles. She also helped advance the women's rights movement as one of the founders of the National Organization for Women Women don't actually want to do household work
What does a conference committee do and why is it necessary?
-appointed by the House of Representatives and Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill. -iron out differences between a House passed and a Senate passed bill
Please be sure to review Justice Harlan's dissent in the Plessy case. There are quotes on your slides.
-argued about how both races are not equal -Justice Harlan said that constitution knows no color, in favor of NO segregation -Justice Harlan's dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896: 1) "But in the view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful." 2) "The law regards man as man and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved.... The arbitrary separation of citizens, on the basis of race, while they are on a public highway, is a badge of servitude wholly inconsistent with the civil freedom and the equality before the law established by the Constitution. It cannot be justified upon any legal grounds
What was/is the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund?
-the country's first and foremost civil and human rights law firm. -Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall -A civil rights organization. -They questioned segregation many times. -They challenged Plessy V Ferguson's Separate but Equal doctrine. -Brought suits against the states for segregations under Thurgood Marshall
Who was Thurgood Marshall?
-the first African-American Supreme Court justice, played a vital part in ending legal segregation during the Civil Rights Movement -The head of the NAACP. -He was a lawyer. -He brought the question of "is separate but equal really equal?" to the supreme court. -Brought about the desegregation of public schools through the Brown v Board of education case.
Please review the cases that went to the Supreme Court before the Brown case and know how the SC ruled on them. You should know concepts but you need not know the name of each case. (All had to do with college segregation.)
1) Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 1938: If a state does not want to admit black students to its law school, can the state offer the student a scholarship to an out-of-state school? -ANSWER: The Supreme Court said the scholarship is no substitute for admitting the student to the state's law school. The Court said admit the student or set up a separate but equal law school for him. 2) Sipuel v. Oklahoma State Regents, 1948: Ada Sipuel applied for admission to the University of Oklahoma Law School, and was refused. Her case went to the Supreme Court where she was represented by Thurgood Marshall. -ANSWER: Just four days after oral arguments, the Supreme Court ruled that she must be admitted. 3) McLaurin V. Oklahoma State Regents, 1950: OSU accepted McLaurin into a graduate program but separated him from other students. He had a separate desk just outside the classroom, a separate table in the library and a special table in the cafeteria. -ANSWER: Supreme Court unanimously ruled that this situation violated the equal protection clause. 4) Sweatt v. Painter, 1950: Rather than admit Heman Sweatt to the University of Texas Law School, the State set up a separate law school for him. -ANSWER: The Supreme Court ruled that Sweatt had to be admitted to the UT Law School, as the newly established school was inferior in quality to the one already in existence.
Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Activist, preacher most famous for "I Have a Dream" speech and "letter from Birmingham jail" -Leader of the civil rights movement
In what case did the Supreme Court uphold the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States.
How did the Supreme Court rule on the issue of same sex marriage? What was the case and year?
In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the right to marry extends to same sex couples.
What is the service strategy pursued by virtually all members of Congress?
Unraveling red tape - pursue a service strategy for constituents by unraveling red tape for them with agencies like social security and veterans affairs.
Which civil rights law dealt with voting issues? What did it do?
Voting Rights Act suspended the use of literacy tests, sent in federal registrars to register voters and monitor elections. Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended literacy tests -Voting Rights Act, it banned literacy tests and other barriers to black voting
What did women do during World War II?
Worked in factories for war production
