APG Civil Rights FRQ

Identify and explain three Amendments to the Constitution that were intended to specifically impact Black Americans.

13th- officially abolished slavery. 14th (Equal Protection Clause- forbids states from denying "to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" 15th- The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied on account of race or color

Describe a specific legislative action that extended civil rights to each of the following. Women

19th amendment—right to vote

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

A 30 year-old paramedic named Alan Bakke wanted to go to medical school, but most rejected him because of his age. He then applied at The Davis Medical School but did not get in even though his scores were higher than most minorities. The court decided that his rejection was illegal because the use of strict quotas was inappropriate. The medical school was, however, allowed to take race into account.

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. Native Americans

Cobell v Salazar (1996) lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of thousands of individual Native Americans in 1996 after finding many discrepancies in the management of funds for lands held in trust by the United States. In 2010 a settlement was finally reached for a total of $3.4 billion.

Loving v Virginia (1967)

Invalidated laws preventing interracial marriage

Tennessee v. Lane (2004)

Ruled that states must have accommodations for disabled people in public places

Hernandez v. Texas (1954)

SCOTUS struck down discrimination based on race and ethnicity Court ruled that Mexican Americans had the right to a jury that included other Mexican Americans

Explain the significance of each decision in United States politics. United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)

Said the 14th amendment guaranteed birthright citizenship regardless of race

Texas v Hopwood (1996)

The court appealed for for the Fifth Circuit also declared as the University of Texas Law School affirmative action admission program, throwing the college admission in Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi into turmoil. The Sup. Court refused to hear the case allowing the decision by the Court of Appeals to stand.

Gratz v Bollinger (2003)

The court struck down Michigan's Undergraduate points system, which gave minority applicant 20 automatic points simply because they were minorities. Michigan voters responded to this ruling by passing proposal 2, a measure placed on the ballot and approved by voters in 2006. Also known as the Michigan civil rights initiative, the proposal prohibited state colleges and universities from granting preferential treatment to applicants on the basis of race

Grutter v Bollinger (2003)

The court voted to uphold the constitutionality of the University of Michigan's law school admissions policy, which gave preference to minority applicants.

5. Many scholars and observers have argued that the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution has become the single most important act in all of United States politics. Identify which provision of the Fourteenth Amendment was applied in each of the following Supreme Court cases. The equal protection clause of the 14th amendment

The equal protection clause of the 14th amendment

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. Asian and Pacific Island Americans

Yick Wo v. Hopkins Ruled that a San Francisco city ordinance that discriminated against Chinese laundry businesses violated the equal protection clause.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)

equal protection clause ( everyone's equal, therefore segregation is unconstitutional) led to end of segregation, civil rights movement

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

the equal protection provision in the 14th amendment was applied to this case. The court ruled that reserving 16 seats for racial minority students is unconstitutional; significance of the decision is institutions cannot hire or admit people based solely on race but it can be a factor (affirmative action)

Identify and briefly explain two tactics used by citizens to further the goals of the Civil Rights movement.

- Boycotting: the withdrawal from the use of a certain good or service as protest Ex. Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month boycott where people refused to use the bus as transportation until Court ruled that segregation on buses is unconstitutional -Sit-ins: involves one or more people nonviolently occupying an area for a protest Ex. helped to shut down businesses that were segregated

3. One of the most critical ways that individuals can influence governmental decision-making is through voting and yet for much of this country's history, more than half this country's population was denied this important right. Identify two amendments that influenced civil rights through the expansion of suffrage.

-15th:can't prevent someone the right to vote on basis of race (1870) -19th :gave women the right to vote (1920) For each of the the above, discuss three significant events that led to their passage. -Seneca Falls Convention in 1848- aimed to abolish discrimination against women -Interest Group Work: Merging of the National and American Woman Suffrage Associations into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)-- headed by Susan B. Anthony— -Suffrage movement: used organizations like NAWSA, rallies, protest marches, and the support of President Woodrow Wilson to ratify the 19th amendment -World War One: the increased role of women in World War One, as they began to work while men were at war and helping gather supplies. This led to increased support for women's suffrage National Consumer League lobbying in Muller v Oregon to secure women more rights in the workplace such as a maximum of ten hours per day

Facing discrimination at the voting booth, many African American citizens turned to alternative forms of political participation. Describe two alternative forms of participation that helped bring about changes in civil rights policies and explain why they were effective in changing civil rights policies.

-Boycotting: the withdrawal from the use of a certain good or service as protest Ex. Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month boycott where people refused to use the bus as transportation until Court ruled that segregation on buses is unconstitutional -Sit-ins: involves one or more people nonviolently occupying an area for a protest Ex. helped to shut down businesses that were segregated Courts/Litigation Uses the court system to gain civil rights. Ex. brown v board of education, brown II,

4.The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Describe the difference between civil rights and civil liberties.

-Civil Rights About equality and laws/the 14th amendment, protects you from discrimination -Civil Liberties About freedom and the bill of rights, protects indv from gov actions

Despite ratification, voter turnout among African American citizens was very low throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Explain how two measures taken by some states prior to the 1960s affected voter turnout among African American citizens.

-Grandfather Clause: Voter qualification provision that allowed only those citizens whose grandfathers had voted before Reconstruction unless they passed a wealth or literacy test -Literacy or understanding tests: which allowed local voter registration officials to administer difficult reading comprehension tests to voters they didn't know

Identify the primary clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that is used to extend civil rights.

-The equal protection clause

Should affirmative action policies, which give preferential treatment based on minority status, be eliminated? Define affirmative action.

-policies designed to give special attention or compensatory treatment to members of a previously disadvantaged group.

Reed v Reed (1971)

Administrators of an estate cannot be named in a way that discriminates between sexes

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. African Americans

African Americans Brown v Board of Education the 1954 supreme court decision holding that school segregation was inherently unconstitutional because it violated the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal protection. this case marked the end of legal segregation in the United States.

Identify and explain the ruling (& the one issued one year later) in the most significant Supreme Court case on the topic of school desegregation, including the constitutional basis for the ruling.

Brown v Board of Education: Held that school segregation is inherently unconstitutional because it violates the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal protection Brown II: Ruled that racially segregated systems must be dismantled "with all deliberate speed"

Identify two examples of Civil Rights legislation regarding African Americans and explain two main components of each.

Civil Rights Act of 1866: -Said blacks were citizens -Outlined what it meant to be a citizen which included that citizens could buy and sell evidence and engage in business -Gave citizens full and equal benefit of all laws for security of person and property Civil Rights Act of 1964: -Prohibited discrimination in employment on basis of race, color, religion, sex, etc -Barred discrimination in voting and in public accommodations

Describe a specific legislative action that extended civil rights to each of the following. African Americans

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Ended segregation in public spaces Ended employment discrimination

Describe a specific legislative action that extended civil rights to each of the following. Native Americans

Dawes Act of 1887 Broke up the communal landholdings of tribes into individual allotments which were held in trust if the individual did not care to sell their land. The revenue generated from the land that is leased are to be paid to the tribes and individual Native American owner of the trust.

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. Hispanic Americans

Hernandez v Texas SCOTUS struck down discrimination based on race and ethnicity Court ruled that Mexican Americans had the right to a jury that included other Mexican Americans

Justify the removal of affirmative action with two supported reasons.

It helps disadvantaged people who come from areas of the country where there are not very many opportunities be able to advance where they otherwise could not. In other words, it gives everyone an equal playing field. Affirmative action is a way to ensure that diversity is obtained and maintained in schools and in the workplace. In so doing it also helps create tolerant communities because it exposes people to a variety of cultures and ideas that are different from their own.

Justify the need for affirmative action with two supported reasons.

It is needed to achieve equal opportunity of all races because of the suppression and discrimination we have put on minorities throughout history The way to stop discrimination today and racism that occurs today is to speak openly about the subject of race

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. LGBT Community

LGBT Community Obergefell v. Hodges: United States Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

Describe a specific legislative action that extended civil rights to each of the following. person with disabilities

Persons with disabilities Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the rights of people with physical or mental disabilities. It prohibits discrimination and ensures for persons w disabilities equal opportunities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation

Describe a Supreme Court decision that extended civil rights to each of the following. Persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities Tennessee v Lane Ruled that states must have accommodations for disabled people in public places

Explain how Plessy v. Ferguson relates to an amendment noted above.

Plessy v. Ferguson says that "Separate but equal is constitutional", but that violates the Equal Protection Clause under the 14th amendment which was proven by the court case Brown vs. Board that says "Separate but equal is inherently unequal"

Identify and explain three tactics used to prevent full implementation of the 15th Amendment

Poll taxes: were charged to keep poor African Americans from voting. Literacy tests: were rigged and used to disenfranchise African Americans. Grandfather Clause: this allowed blacks whose grandfathers could vote before 1867, to vote.

Adarand Construction v Pena (1995)

States Supreme Court case which held that racial classifications, imposed by the federal government, must be analyzed under a standard of "strict scrutiny"

2. Since the 1960's, Congress has addressed the problem of gender bias on numerous occasions. Briefly explain how each of these bills addressed the problem of gender bias in American society. Assess (with 1-2 sentences) the effectiveness of each of the legislative action.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963: employers cannot pay employees different wages on the basis of their gender -has been quite effective, as females' wages have risen dramatically since 1963. However, the goals of the act have not been fully realized as women still don't earn 100% of men's earnings. The Civil Rights Act of 1964: outlawed segregation in public facilities and racial discrimination in employment, education, and voting based on gender, race, age, national origin -has been effective. Equal Opportunity Commission was created to monitor and enforce the bans on employment discrimination. -Was upheld in U.S. v. Heart Atlanta Motel Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1973: bars educational institutions that receive federal funds from discriminating against female students. -Specifically, the number of female athletes have risen as athletic opportunities for females have increased. - There is also equal access to higher education, and schools have an obligation to prevent and address any reported sexual harassment. The Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution: proposed amendment to guarantee equal rights for women -Has not been effective, as the proposed amendment was never ratified. -Even after extending the deadline for ratification, the amendment did not garner the necessary ¾ of state's approval, especially since quite a few states rescinded their votes.

Schuette v Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action (2014)

The US Supreme Court was asked to consider the constitutionality of this measure, and ruled that voters could use ballot initiatives to put an end to state-sponsored affirmative action policies in the area of higher education, and, presumably, and hiring state employees and awarding government contracts.

Obergefell v Hodges (2015)

same sex marriage is guaranteed by the const