POLS 206 Reading notes set 2 Chapter 5: Civil Rights and Public Policy- The civil rights movement led by African Americanso Critical role in obtaining more equal treatment for African American and other important groups in US society. - Most Americans favor equality in the abstract - Civil Rights o Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatorytreatment by govt. officials or individuals - Equality o According to Jefferson it means, “all me are created equal” o Equality in opportunity emerged from equal rights o 14th amendment No state can deny people equal protection of the law (equal protection clause) - Standards of Reviewo SC developed 3 levels of scrutiny. o In order to pass a constitutional muster, most classifications must onlybe reasonable Race and Ethnicity- standard is difficult to meet Gender- intermediate scrutiny, moderately hard to meet Other (age, wealth, etc)- reasonableness, easy to meet- African Americans’ Civil Rights o Policies of the Slave states and the fed. Govt. accommodated property interests in slave owners, who were wealthy and influential o Scott v. Sanford- A slave who escaped to a free state was not considered a citizen and didn’t have any rights. Congress could ban slavery in those territories o 13th amendment- ended slavery -Reconstruction and Segregation o Former confederate states could not hold an office position, the confederate states became like territories under govt. (military) supervisiono Jim Crow Laws- segregationist laws Regulation of separate public transportation and facilities, separate schooling, and restroomsTook over the south, but common practice in the north too Whites and blacks completely separate o Plessy vs. Ferguson During the civil rights era Legalized separate but equal accommodations for white and blackConstitutional o Niagara movement turned into the NAACPResponse to the practice of lynching and a race riot-Equal Education o Integrating started at higher levels of education o OU let in a black grad student but all of his facilities and accommodations were separated from the whiteso McLaurin v. Oklahoma regions Public institution of higher learning could not give different treatment based only on race o Sweatt vs. PainterSeparate but equal was unacceptable in professional schools o Brown vs. board Legal segregation had come to an end. It violated the 14th amendment which guaranteed equal protection o De jure- means by law o De Facto- means in reality -Civil Rights movement and Public Policy o Tactics were sit-ins, marches and civil disobedience to try and fight forequal opportunity in political and economic components-Civil Rights Acto Law making discrimination in hotels, motels and restaurants illegal and forbid many forms of job discriminationo Created EEOC- which is the equally employment opportunity commissiono Govt. could withhold grants from state and local govt. and institutions that practiced discrimination-Voting Rights o Suffrage- legal right to vote, extend to African Americans by the 15th amendment, and to women by the 19th amendment, and for people ages 18 to 20 on the 26th amendmento 15th amendment Blacks could vote o States tried to get around the 15th amendment by administering literacy tests and poll taxeso They also implemented white primary, which is where states would exclude African Americans from voting in primary elections. They could only vote in the general election o Smith vs. AllwrightMade white primaries illegal o 24th amendment- prohibited poll taxeso Voting Rights Act of 1965Designed to let everyone vote and there could not be a literacy test or an understanding of the constitution -The rights of other minority groups o Minority majorityMembers of the minority will outnumber the majority o Native Americans Oldest minority group Dawes Act- fed govt. turned to a strategy of forced assimilation,sending children to boarding schools off the reservations, against the will of the families and banning tribal rituals and languageIndian Bill of Rights was adopted as Title II of the Civil Rights totribal govts. -Tribal groups gained more power AIM (American Indian Movement)- protest loss of Indian lands Indians have been oppressed, shoved around, live in poverty, and have ill health o Hispanic AmericansLargest minority (usually from central America and Mexico) Through the first half of the 20th century they were discriminated and segregated. American GI Forum was established as the first Latino’s advocacy group. -Received national attention when a soldier was brought back and the city did not allow his burial because of his Mexican heritage. Senator LBJ allowed him to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Hernandez vs. Texas- a case when a cotton picker was convictedof murder but there were no Hispanics on the jury. -Brought to the SC, and they ruled in the favor of Hispanics-Deprived them of equal protection which is guaranteed by the 14th amendmentPyler v. Doe-Illegal immigrant children are protected by the 14th amendment -Could not deny education to any child o Asian Americans Fastest growing minority groupDiscriminated against, sent to internment campsKorematsu v. US -SC upheld internment as constitutional-Congress has given those still alive benefits if they were in internment camps. o Arab Americans and Muslims They have become victims of bias-related assaults, threats, vandalism and arson. Experienced discrimination in employment, housing, education, and access to public accomodationsSpeculated as associated with terrorists after 9.11 and were held in detainment. -The rights of womeno First women’s rights activists were products of the abolitionist movemento Lucretua Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a meeting in Seneca Fallso 19th amendmentGiving the women their right to voteo Equal Rights AmendmentPassed in 1972Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridgedby the US or by any state on account of sex. o The Feminie Mystique- encouraged women to question traditional assumptions and to assert their own rights. NOW (National Organization for Women) were organized from this. o Reed vs. ReedProhibited gender discrimination o Craig vs. Boren Established the “intermediate scrutiny” standard for determining gender discriminationo Title 9 of the Education Act of 1972 Forbids gender discrimination in federally
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