Unit 4 - Race and Ethnic Politics - American ✅ Flashcards
Ethnic minority representation ..
Asian American- there are 4% population makeup and they have 12 house members and 3 senators
Hispanic - 16% of population and 4 in the Senate and 34 in the House
Record number of blacks with 49 in House and 3 in the Senate - have 12% of population share
In the Supreme Court there is one black, one Hispanic and 3 Jewish Judhes
Under representation of minority groups in the Senate
- white candidates are a safer option
- gerrymandering
- difficult to get votes across groups state-wide
- persistent racism
- campaigns are very expensive and some candidates can’t afford
Why is affirmative action needed ?
- it has worked and led to several opportunities for black people
- allows for a larger pool of talent to be drawn from and can open up opportunities for those without access to education and employment
- redressed the inequalities as they do not have the same standing as white people
- within education, it can lead to diversity and a richer education which provides better outcomes
- compensate for horror of slavery and segregation
Why is it not longer needed ?
It can lead to reverse discrimination against the majority e.g Fisher vs Texas
It is once justified but not needed as there is growing black prosperity such as Obama serving two terms in office
It is a culture thing associated with the black communities e.g. Asian Americans achieve good SATs and GPAs
It undermines the accomplishment of people in minority groups as it is known to have a ‘springboard effect . This can be condescending to minorities as it implies they need AA
It is setting people up to fail as they cannot work effectively - it furthermore lowers the standard of accountability which is needed to push students to perform better and they are further ill-equipped to deal with it
Evidence of AA working
- a black President who has served two teens
- greater black representation throughout political and judicial establishments
- growth of professional black middle class due to good college education
Evidence of AA not working
- proof of far lower levels of educational achievements by blacks as well as lower rates of college attendance
- huge inequality in wealth and income between the white and black population - furthermore blacks are still very much under represented in some institutions such as the Senate
Why hasn’t AA worked ?
It has been defeated at state level , states such as Michigan ban AA in some state constitutions
It is not broad enough to take in all factors such as socio-economic factors
White don’t like it as public opinion defeats ballot initiatives such as the Proposition 209 in California
Cases such as Bakke vs California , Gratz vs Bollinger and Adarand vs Constructors Pena all found AA to be unconstitutional
Why has immigration reform failed ?
Defeat in the Federal and Supreme Court
Divisions within the Republican Party bettered establishment Republicans the the ALT- right and Tea Cup Patty
Divisions in the Democratic Party
Divided Congress over the DREAM act
A lack of executive power to pass reforms or bills when needed
Immigration Reforms
The Bush Immigration reform which was called the guest worker programme. Illegal immigrants were able to work for 3 years in the US and once they had finished this work stint they had the opportunity to gain pathway to legal citizenship
- it had intense opposition as it meant that wages were undercut and legal breakers where given amnesty / jobs taken off those within the country who wanted to work but couldn’t
DREAM Act 2009/10 - this was the reform that meant that children of illegal immigrants who were born in the US were granted citizenship if they graduated high school and had no criminal record
- it was not a long term solution and they believed it would lead to further illegal immigration into the US and exclude those who were adults from claiming citizenship
Immigration Senate reform 2013 was a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants ensuring they had a clean criminal record and adhered to rules involving money and paying tax. It also had a stronger reinforcement of boarders to prevent further immigration
- it never passed the House of Representatives
Arizona deportation law
Senate Bill 1070 and it discouraged illegal immigrants remaining in the state as it required state officers to detain people they suspected are in the country without authorisation - made it a state crime to not carry any immigration papers
- it has been weakened and four laws suspended as it was declared as racial profiling and in late 2012 the Court rejected much of the immigration law and allowed tha police could still check immigration status of the people that they detain
Obama executive order 2014
Plan to dramatically increase deportation relief for an estimated 4.4 million undocumented immigrants - protect parents who moved to US as children ; redefine immigration and customs enforcement
- it would encourage further immigration into the USA and Republicans said it was a radical overreach beyond prosecutorial discretion
DACA AND DAPA. Daca gave illegal immigrants the chance to apply for a 2 year work permit which would delay their deportation for 2 years - they would then have to reapply every 2 years . DAPA was an attempt to protect the parents of those protected by DACA
Representation and Voting
Equality
Asian American makeup about 4% of the population and they have representation in both House and Senate
In the SC , there is one black, one Hispanic and 3 Jewish judges
115th Congress is the most diverse yet
Inequality
Underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in Congress - especially in the Senate however in the House of Representatives there are 7% Hispanic and 11% Black
Evidence of voting patterns based on race in elections - which indicates influence of race in party politics
8% of governors and 19% of state legislators are from ethnic minority backgrounds and the makeup of the US population is 38% which means that it is not representative
Socio economic issues
Equality A substantial black middle class that did not exist 40 years ago
Help and support from the government to advance ethnic minorities into higher education- shown by the idea that there are more blacks than ever that are attending University
Inequality
40% of African American and 33% of Latino children are living in poverty which is more than the 14% of the hits population
Fewer black students graduate university than white students
Rates of unemployment are higher for black communities (almost double that of white communities)
Black people receive 25% less of salaries than white people - their pay is increasing but there is still a large pay gap due to relative difference
White people have six times worth of wealth to Hispanics and 13 times to Blacks
Legislation , law , crime
Equality
13th Amendment abolition of slavery
14th Amendment rights to blacks and equal protection under the law
15th Amendment is the right to vote
Brown vs Board of Education- overturned the rule of ‘separate but equal’ and rules regarding Plessy vs Ferguson - started civil rights movement and ended segregation
Civil Rights Act 1964 and Voting Rights Act 1965
Affirmative Action including Executive Order 10925 and 11246
Inequality
Numerous incidents of police shootings of unarmed black men
Black men spend more time in prison and white crime is prosecuted less than black crime as shown by the crack cocaine vs cocaine dilemma
Crime in some predominantly black areas such as gangs and shootings cause pre- conceived conceptions among police of what all black neighbourhoods are life
Shelby County vs Holder which was the undoing of some of the provisions enacted by the voting Rights Act 1965
Policies such as the wall and Muslim ban
Social and cultural phenomenon
Equality
Removal and condemnation of confederate monuments and flags in some southern states
Media prominence for the black lives matter movement
There is no longer racial inequality and this is demonstrated by a black president and racial minorities enjoying great success and becoming national role models
Inequality
Emergence of the ALT - right such as Charlottesville attacks and riots
The anti Muslim sentiment associated within a section of the Republican Party e.g Roy Moore
Dred - Scott vs Sandford (1857)
SC legalised the concept of slavery and claimed that they had no constitutional rights of political standing
Court said that ‘whether they are free of slaves , they are not citizens of the US’
Plessy vs Ferguson
African American man refused to sit in the Jim Crow carriage and he appealed arguing that his rights had been violated but the Court ruled that it was a ‘legal distinction’ and ruled in favour of the laws surrounding segregation
