civil rights Flashcards
how are civil liberties and rights protected in the US?
constitution
bill of rights
subsequent amendments
landmark rulings
how does the constitution protect rights?
codified system of checks and balances that limit each branch
prevents entrenched rights from being removed by future governments
how does the bill of rights protect rights?
first 10 amendments were intended to protect rights and liberties of individuals
2nd - right to bare arms
8th - no cruel or unusual punishments
how do subsequent amendments protect rights?
BoR 1791, only applied to free persons, slavery still existed, women not treated equally
13th - abolished slavery
14th - full citizenship to those enslaved
19th - women have the right to vote
what happened with ERA 1972?
Equality Rights Amendment which would have made it illegal to discriminate against sex, campaigned by NOW
it was ratified by 35 states
but opposition by Phyllis Schlafly meant it was not ratified by 38 states by 1982
how do landmark rulings protect rights?
landmark rulings have been able to change and add new rights that are protected, such as
Brown v Board 1954
Roe v Wade 1973
DC v Heller 2008
Obergefell v Hodges 2015
what PGs have helped to promote rights in the US?
ACLU - defends civil liberties of all Americans, it defended the Neo-Nazis in 1978. ending of racial segregation, roe v wade
NAACP - planned march on washington in 1963, civil rights acts of 1957, 1964, 1968, voting act of 1965, increased African-American voters
how have social movements promoted the protection of rights?
Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, anti-lockdown movement.
what was the anti-lockdown movement?
protesters argued against the lockdowns. the stay-at-home orders violated their constitutional civil liberties.
demonstrations in more than half of the US states
April 2020, armed protesters entered the Capitol in Michigan
October 2020, FBI arrested members of the militia who were planning to kidnap Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer
how has the UK protected civil rights?
legislation - HRA 1998, Equality Act 2010
courts - DOI, consideration
uncodified, unentrenched
how effective are civil rights campaigns in UK and US?
both - changed public attitudes towards racism, homophobia and misogyny.
US - religious campaigns, abortion rights have been threatened by state-led abortion restrictions and bans after Dobbs vs Jackson 2022
NRA uses its financial resources for electioneering has given a degree of influence over US politicians
UK - pro-choice abortion campaigners have been successful to extend abortion rights to Northern Ireland
