Race and Rights in Contemporary US Politics Flashcards
What is the debate between ‘equality of opportunity’ and equality of outcome’? - Race and Rights in the US
‘Equality of opportunity’ is where all people should have equal chances and facilities to fulfil their potential, whereas ‘equality of outcome’ is where everyone achieves the same outcome due to intervention.
What is busing? What are quotas? What is affirmative action? - Race and Rights in the US
Busing - movement of school children between racially homogenous areas in order to create integrated education.
Quotas - a process by which a % of jobs and university places are reserved for minorities.
Affirmative action - a programme to counteract existing discrimination by giving minority students a head start in employment/education.
What does ‘equality of outcome’ look like for civil rights groups and Democrats? - Race and Rights in the US
For civil rights groups and Democrats, ‘equality of outcome’ would mean that all places of work, neighbourhoods and educational offerings would broadly mirror the ethnic and cultural makeup of society.
Why do conservatives oppose affirmative action? - Race and Rights in the US
Conservatives believe that affirmative action schemes are patronising to minorities and unfair towards majority groups in populations. They argue that for effective equality, the constitution should be ‘colour blind’ and not attempt to create an artificial racial imbalance.
What impact did Gratz v. Bollinger have on affirmative action? - Race and Rights in the US
Gratz v. Bollinger ruled that the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policy was unconstitutional due to the universal awarding of points for application to all minority applicants. Described as ‘mechanistic’.
What impact did Grutter v. Bollinger have on affirmative action schemes? - Race and Rights in the US
Grutter v. Bollinger resulted in the University of Michigan’s affirmative action schemes were constitutional as it made use of other metrics and values in its application process alongside affirmative action measures.
How did Regents of the University of California v. Bakke impact affirmative action measures? - Race and Rights in the US
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke saw it deemed that racial quotas in university admissions processes was unconstitutional, yet other measures to achieve positive discrimination were permitted in admissions processes.
How did Fisher v. Texas impact affirmative action measures? How did Fisher II impact affirmative action measures? - Race and Rights in the US
Fisher v. Texas ruled that the University of Texas must subject the use of race in its admissions process to further scrutiny given the potential for discrimination.
Fisher II upheld a Court of Appeal ruling which ensured that affirmative action measures were deemed constitutional.
What is the ‘25 year limit’ talked about by Sandra Day O’Connor? - Race and Rights in the US
Sandra Day O’Connor’s idea of the ‘25 year limit’ set out the point at which affirmative action measures would likely become ineffective and unnecessary having achieved the change that they intended to do by creating equality of outcome.
How do conservatives view affirmative action measures? - Race and Rights in the US
Conservatives believe that affirmative action measures would perpetrate the continuation of a society based on race and potentially disincentivise hard work. Equality of opportunity emphasised rather than equality of outcome. They argue that countering existing inequality with another inequality does not lead to progress.
How do moderates view affirmative action? - Race and Rights in the US
Moderates believe that affirmative action schemes have achieved immense progress but also that the arguments of conservatives are somewhat grounded in truth. They would also argue that there becomes a point when these schemes should be reformed and eventually unnecessary.
How do progressives/liberals view affirmative action? - Race and Rights in the US
Progressives/liberals view affirmative action as something which has achieved progress but as something which has not fulfilled its potential. These measures are needed to reach equality in the proportions of minorities across higher education.
How did Congress protect voting rights through the 1965 Voting Rights Act? - Race and Rights in the US
The 1965 Voting Rights Act set up a variety of measures to enforce the 15th amendment and protect the voting rights of black Americans from oppressive state laws. This most notably included the federal preclearance formula,, which meant that the federal government must approve laws on voting rights in states with a history of racial discrimination.
How did the Bush Government protect voting rights in 2006 through Congress? - Race and Rights in the US
The Bush Government reauthorised the provisions of the Voting Rights Act for a further 25 years in 2006 through Congress.
How did the 2021 For the People Act protect voting rights? - Race and Rights in the US
The 2021 For the People Act took measures to reduce the risk of gerrymandering by making the redrawing of congressional districts an independent task, hence preventing the concentration of minority voters or their dispersal across congressional districts.
