Civil Rights

 What are civil rights?

Government-protected rights ensuring equal treatment under the law.

 What is discrimination?

Unequal treatment based on characteristics like race, gender, or disability.

 What does the Equal Protection Clause require?

That states treat individuals equally under the law (14th Amendment)

What did Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decide?

African Americans were not U.S. citizens; Congress couldn’t ban slavery in territories

 What did the 13th Amendment (1865) do?

Abolished slavery

 What did the 14th Amendment (1868) do?

Established birthright citizenship and equal protection.

What did the 15th Amendment (1870) guarantee?

Voting rights regardless of race.

What did U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) establish?

 Birthright citizenship for all born in the U.S.

What was Japanese American Internment?

 WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans due to fear and prejudice.

 What were Jim Crow laws?

 State laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement.

What did Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) establish?

 The “separate but equal” doctrine

 What did the 19th Amendment (1920) do?

 Granted women the right to vote.

 Name common barriers to voting after Reconstruction.

 Literacy tests, grandfather clauses, poll taxes, residency requirements, intimidation

What did the 24th Amendment (1964) ban?

 Poll taxes in federal election

 What did the Voting Rights Act do?

Ended discriminatory voting practices and allowed federal oversight.

What is preclearance?

Requirement that certain states get federal approval before changing voting laws

What helped pass the Voting Rights Act?

Activists, media coverage, public opinion shifts, skilled political leadership

 What did Shelby County v. Holder (2013) do?

 Ended the preclearance formula, reducing federal oversight.

 What issues persist today in voting rights?

Voter ID laws, roll purges, gerrymandering.

 What is de jure segregation?

Segregation by law.

 What is de facto segregation?

Segregation by circumstance or housing patterns

What did Brown v. Board of Education (1954) rule?

School segregation is unconstitutional; overturned in Plessy

 What did Brown II (1955) require?

Desegregation “with all deliberate speed.

What was Massive Resistance?

Southern opposition to school integration.

 What happened at Little Rock (1957)?

Federal troops enforced school integration.

 What did Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (1971) allow?

Busing to desegregate schools

What did Milliken v. Bradley (1974) restrict?

Cross-district busing; limited remedies for de facto segregation.

What level of scrutiny applies to gender discrimination?

Intermediate scrutiny.

What does Title IX (1972) prohibit?

Sex discrimination in educational programs and activities

 What did U.S. v. Virginia (1996) decide?

VMI must admit women; gender-based exclusions require strong justification.

What is Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973)?

Prohibits disability discrimination in federally funded programs.

 What does IDEA guarantee?

FAPE, IEPs, and the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities

What does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibit?

Employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

What agency enforces Title VII?

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

Examples of sex discrimination?

Excluding from hiring or promotions; sexual harassment.

What law protects disabled workers from discrimination?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

What did Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) decide?

Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Name three additional groups involved in modern civil rights struggles.

Latino/a/x communities, Asian Americans, LGBTQIA+ communities.