POLS 34102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Rational Basis Review, Indigenous Languages Of The Americas, Asian Americans
29 Jun 2018
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CH 05 OUTLINE
The Struggle for Civil Rights
1. With the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, civil rights became part of the
Constitution, where they are guaranteed to each citizen through "equal protection of the laws."
This equal protection clause launched a century of political movements and legal efforts to press
for racial equality.
2. The movements for women's rights and the abolition of slavery were closely linked. The start
of the modern women's movement was considered the Seneca Falls Convention, where the
Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was drafted.
3. The hopes of African Americans for achieving full citizenship rights initially seemed fulfilled
when three constitutional amendments were adopted after the Civil War: the Thirteenth
Amendment abolished slavery; the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed equal protection under the
law; and the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed voting rights for African Americans.
4. From 1896 until the end of World War II, the Supreme Court held that racial discrimination did
not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause as long as the facilities were
equal, thus establishing the separate but equal rule, which prevailed through the mid-twentieth
century.
5. African Americans built organizations and devised strategies for asserting their constitutional
rights. One such strategy, championed by the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP), sought to win political rights through political pressure and litigation.
6. The movement toward women's suffrage was formally launched in 1878 with the introduction
of a proposed constitutional amendment in Congress. Parallel efforts were made in the states.
Women's organizations staged mass meetings, parades, petitions, and protests. The Nineteenth
Amendment, giving women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920.
7. After World War II, the Supreme Court began to undermine the separate but equal doctrine,
eventually declaring it unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. This decision marked the
beginning of a difficult battle for equal protection in education, employment, housing, voting, and
other areas of social and economic activity.
8. The first phase of school desegregation was met with such massive resistance in the South
that 10 years after Brown, less than 1 percent of black children in the South were attending
schools with whites.
9. In 1971, the Supreme Court held that state-imposed desegregation could be brought about by
busing children across school districts.
10. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed job discrimination by all private and public
employers—including governmental agencies—employing more than 15 workers.
11. In 1965, Congress significantly strengthened legislation that protects voting rights by barring
literacy and other tests as a condition for voting in southern states. In the long run, the laws
extending and protecting voting rights could prove to be the most effective of all civil rights
legislation, because increased political participation by minorities has altered the shape of
American politics.
Extending Civil Rights
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Document Summary
The struggle for civil rights: with the adoption of the fourteenth amendment in 1868, civil rights became part of the. Constitution, where they are guaranteed to each citizen through "equal protection of the laws. " This equal protection clause launched a century of political movements and legal efforts to press for racial equality: the movements for women"s rights and the abolition of slavery were closely linked. The start of the modern women"s movement was considered the seneca falls convention, where the. Declaration of sentiments and resolutions was drafted: the hopes of african americans for achieving full citizenship rights initially seemed fulfilled when three constitutional amendments were adopted after the civil war: the thirteenth. One such strategy, championed by the national association for the advancement of. Colored people (naacp), sought to win political rights through political pressure and litigation: the movement toward women"s suffrage was formally launched in 1878 with the introduction of a proposed constitutional amendment in congress.
