Overview of American Civil Rights History

Oct 17, 2024

American Government: Civil Rights Lecture Notes

Introduction

  • The U.S. Constitution is admired globally for its founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice.
  • Historically, many Americans, including women, immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and people with disabilities, have been denied basic rights.
  • The struggle for civil rights involves individuals and social movements demanding equality and justice.
  • Recent state voter suppression laws indicate ongoing discrimination.

5.1 What are Civil Rights?

Learning Objectives

  • Define civil rights.
  • Understand court standards for discriminatory laws.
  • Recognize civil rights issues.

Key Concepts

  • Civil rights ensure government treats people equally.
  • 5th and 14th Amendments provide equality guarantees.
  • Contrast with civil liberties, which limit government power to protect freedoms.
  • Rational basis test allows some forms of discrimination if justified (e.g., age restrictions).
  • Strict scrutiny applied to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or national origin discrimination.

Identifying Discrimination

  • Discrimination laws aren't always unconstitutional; context matters.
  • Rational basis test: Discrimination should be rationally related to a governmental interest.
  • Intermediate scrutiny for gender discrimination.
  • Strict scrutiny for racial or ethnic discrimination.

5.2 African-American Struggle for Equality

Learning Objectives

  • Identify key events in African-American civil rights.
  • Understand governmental support for civil rights.
  • Recognize grassroots efforts in the civil rights movement.

Historical Context

  • Slavery and Civil War: Confederate states defended slavery leading to Civil War.
  • Reconstruction: Post-war amendments aimed at political equality.
  • Disenfranchisement: Literacy tests and poll taxes used to disenfranchise black voters.
  • Jim Crow Laws: Enforced racial segregation under "separate but equal" doctrine.

Key Movements and Legislation

  • NAACP and legal challenges to segregation.
  • Brown v. Board of Education: Overturned "separate but equal" in education.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964: Outlawed discrimination by race in public accommodations and employment.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965: Ended disenfranchisement tools like literacy tests.

Ongoing Challenges

  • De facto segregation persists in housing and education.
  • Economic inequality remains significant.
  • White nationalism and its impact on racial equality.

5.3 The Fight for Women's Rights

Learning Objectives

  • Describe early women's rights efforts.
  • Explain the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
  • Recognize continuing challenges for women.

Early Movements

  • Seneca Falls Convention (1848): Launched women's suffrage movement.
  • Suffrage achieved with the 19th Amendment (1920).

Modern Movements

  • Second-wave feminism in the 1960s-70s aimed at workplace equality and reproductive rights.
  • ERA failed due to lack of state ratification.
  • Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education.

Continuing Challenges

  • Gender pay gap persists.
  • Underrepresentation in politics and executive roles.
  • Calls for equal pay and protection against domestic violence.

5.4 Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups

Learning Objectives

  • History of discrimination against Native Americans.
  • Expansion of Native American civil rights.
  • Current challenges faced by Native Americans.

Historical Context

  • Forced removal and assimilation policies.
  • Indian Citizenship Act (1924) granted U.S. citizenship.
  • Indian Reorganization Act (1934) restored some tribal self-governance.

Modern Struggles

  • Native American civil rights activism in 1960s-70s.
  • Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975).
  • Legal battles for land and resource rights.

Ongoing Issues

  • Poverty, unemployment, and education disparities.
  • Efforts for greater autonomy and resource control.

5.5 Equal Protection for Other Groups

Learning Objectives

  • Challenges faced by Hispanic, Latino, Asian Americans, and LGBTQ groups.
  • Federal actions for people with disabilities.
  • Discrimination faced by religious minorities.

Hispanic and Latino Civil Rights

  • Early discrimination and labor struggles.
  • Civil rights movement parallels with African-Americans.
  • Ongoing debates over immigration and citizenship.

Asian-American Civil Rights

  • Historical exclusion and segregation.
  • Internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII.
  • Modern-day hate crimes and discrimination.

LGBTQ Rights

  • Historical criminalization and pathologizing of homosexuality.
  • Stonewall Riots (1969): Catalyst for modern LGBTQ rights movement.
  • Legal recognition of same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges).
  • Ongoing discrimination and religious freedom debates.

Disability Rights

  • Rehabilitation Act (1973) and Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
  • Challenges in education and employment.

Religious Minorities

  • Historical anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism.
  • Post-9/11 discrimination against Muslims.
  • Religious freedom vs. anti-discrimination debates.

This lecture provides a comprehensive overview of civil rights struggles throughout U.S. history, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by various marginalized groups and the legal and social battles fought to secure equal treatment and opportunities.

Full transcript