RCI EXAM 1

African World

1. Continental Africa (e.g., Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa), 2. Afro‑America, 3. Latin America/Caribbean, and 4. Europe.

Two American Cultures

Majority/Society: mainstream Euro‑Caucasian culture; African American community: culture defined by resistance and liberation.

American Dilemma (Gunnar Myrdal)

The contradiction between America’s ideals of equality and the reality of inequality toward African Americans.

The State

Reflects the interests of the majority through the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

Two Types of Racism

Historical racism and contemporary racism.

Suit

A dispute between two parties.

Standing

The right to bring a legal claim.

Jurisdiction

The authority of a tribunal to hear a dispute.

Jurist

A law interpreter or legal expert (lawyer or judge), not a lawmaker.

Justiciability

Whether a dispute can be resolved in a court of law.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Handles criminal disputes against individuals involving human‑rights violations, crimes against humanity, genocide; enrollment is voluntary.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Handles civil disputes between countries; only nations can be plaintiffs.

U.S. Constitution

Has finite jurisdiction; concerned only with rights, privileges, and powers defined in the Constitution, not guilt or innocence.

Tribunal

A court of justice that determines the legality of a suit.

Two Tribunals

EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and CRC (Civil Rights Center).

“Kangaroo Court”

A court in which injustice is inevitable; biased or illegitimate proceedings.

Three Types of Court

Federal Court, State Court, Military Court

1619–1789 Period

Africans reach America (1619); Declaration of Independence undermines African equality while asserting self‑governance (1776).

1789–1865 Period

Constitution ratified (1789); Constitutional Convention (1789); Connecticut Compromise (1787); 3/5 Compromise (1787); Dred Scott v. Sandford (Black people not persons under law). (1857)

1865–1896 Period

Slavery abolished(1865); Civil War (1865); 13th Amendment (ends slavery)(1865), 14th (birthright citizenship + due process)(1866), 15th (Black male suffrage)(1869/1870).

1896–Present Period

Plessy v. Ferguson (“separate but equal”)(1896); Wilmington 1898; Tulsa 1921.

White Nationalism

Belief that U.S. national identity should center around whiteness; views non‑white groups as foreign.

White Nationalist Beliefs & Philosophy

White demographic anxiety; fear of Black men; acceptance of Black entertainers but rejection of Black political power; rewriting history; exploiting poor white ignorance; appealing to patriotism.

Great Replacement Theory

Belief in an intentional “invasion” of non‑white populations to replace white Americans.

Main Goal of White Nationalism

To preserve advantages and benefits for white people.

De Jure

Conditions established by law or official regulation (e.g., 13th–15th Amendments).

De Facto

Conditions existing in practice, regardless of law.

White Backlash Period

Post‑15th Amendment emergence of white supremacist organizations (e.g., White Citizens’ Councils).

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Homer Plessy challenges Louisiana’s segregation law; Supreme Court upholds “separate but equal.”

Jim Crow Political Requirements

Grandfather clause, literacy tests, poll taxes — all used to disenfranchise Black voters.

Jim Crow Segregation

Denial of rights, opportunities, and privileges based on race; rooted in white supremacy.

Rationalization for Jim Crow

White superiority and Social Darwinism.

Aspects of Life Affected by Jim Crow

Criminal justice, healthcare, education, relationships, housing, politics, public accommodations, transportation, military.

Major Cases

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Brown v. Board (1954), Loving v. Virginia (1967).

African American Community Strategies

integrationism vs. radical separatism (change by any means necessary).

Tactics of Mainstream Society

Physical abuse, incarceration, criminalization, image denigration.

White Nationalist Groups

Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Proud Boys, Patriot Front/Stormfront, Militia groups, Neo‑Nazis, National Alliance, Neo‑Confederates, Citizens’ Councils.

Modern White Nationalist Incidents

Spokane (WA), Charlotte (NC), Charleston (SC), El Paso (TX).

Trump‑Era Policies

Attacks on affirmative action, DEI, Black history; Muslim travel ban; defamation of African countries; anti‑immigrant‑of‑color policies; asylum offered to white South Africans.

BLM as Ideology

A set of ideas responding to injustice and state violence against Black people, especially police brutality.

BLM as Movement

Direct protest; demands for institutional accountability; calls to defund/reform police; demand for greater inclusion.

Incidents of Police Brutality

Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, George Floyd, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Malice Green, and Rodney King

What came from ratifying the US constitution?

Establishment of three branches

Missouri Compromise

Temporarily eased sectional conflict over slavery by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining a Senate balance.

Ethnic Cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is the systematic, forced removal of a specific ethnic or religious group from a territory to create an ethnically homogeneous area.

Genocide

Certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Types of Ethnic Cleansing

Apartheid

8 laws of legislation under Apartheid

Resettlement Areas