Civil Rights Flashcards
Civil rights vs civil liberties
Civil rights: Guarantees of equal opportunity and protection through obligations imposed on government to protect individuals, strives to maintain political equality
Civil liberties: basic personal freedoms explicit outlined in the bill of rights, laws prohibiting certain types of government interference
Government guarantees equality for all people in US regarding….
-Exercise of political rights
-Judicial proceedings
-Treatment by public officials
-Access to and enjoyment of the benefits of government programs
Civil war/reconstruction amendments
13th amendment- Abolished slavery (1865)
14th amendment- Equal protection under the law and due process (1868)
15th amendment- Voting rights for African American men (1870)
How were black men kept from voting despite the 15th amendment?
Jim crow laws, poll taxes, use of grandfather clauses, literacy tests, all-white primaries, as well as fraud and intimidation techniques
Equal protection clause in relation to civil rights
Provision of the 14th amendment granting “equal protection of the laws” across states and individuals backgrounds. Basis for civil rights of women, African Americans and members of the LGBTQ+ community
Separate but equal doctrine
-Supreme court initially interpreted the 14th amendment very narrowly
-Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld the concept of “separate but equal” (Jim Crow laws)
NACCPs role in civil rights
-Sought to win political rights through political pressure and litigation
-Helped bring Northern blacks into political system
-Begins filing federal lawsuits to bring constitutional change
Brown v Board of Education (1954) significance
-Unanimous supreme court decision striking down “separate but equal” doctrine
-Eliminated state power to use race as criterion of discrimination
-Provided national government with power to intervene by issuing regulatory practices against discriminatory actions
Civil Rights after brown timeline
- 1954- brown decision
-1955- death of Emmett Till, Montgomery bus boycott, desegregate with “all deliberate speed”
-1957- Little rock nine “integrated” Arkansas schools - 1960-1961- student sit-ins
-1963- march on Washington for jobs and freedom
-1964- civil rights act
-1965- Voting rights act
Civil rights act of 1964
-Ended segregation in public spaces (title VI) and prohibited discrimination on basis of race, gender, religion, sex and national origin
-Title VI created the equal employment opportunity commission and allowed for the justice department to enforce fair employment practices
Voting rights act of 1965
-Made interference with the right to vote on the basis of race a federal issue
-Banned literacy tests, poll taxes, and other jim crow laws meant to disenfranchise
-Pre-clearance requirements for specific states and regions due to extensive record of disenfranchisement policies or attempts (shelby county vs. holder 2013) struck this down
LGBTQ+ and civil rights
- U.S vs. Windsor(2013)- recognizes same-sex marriage in states that allowed it for tax purposes, bankruptcies, survivor benefits and legal proceedings
-Obergefell v. Hodges(2015)- legalizes same-sex marriage struck down DOMA
-Bostock v. Clayton County (2020)-Title VII of 1964 Civil Rights Act also applies to protecting those of differing gender identity and sexual orientation
Heart of Atlanta Motel case significance
- (1964) Supreme Court defined the Commerce Clause very broadly to uphold civil rights
