Civil Rights and Civil Liberties What are civil

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

What are civil rights and what are civil liberties? Civil Rights = The right of every person to equal protection under the law and equal access to society’s opportunities and public facilities. Civil Liberties = Individual rights that are protected from infringement by government.

Civil Rights and Equality “All men are created equal? ” - Equality – One of the founding principles of our democracy, yet still unrealized. What is equality? - In theory, Americans have equal rights; in practice, they are not equal and never have been.

The Struggle for Equality: African Americans ----------------------------Strange Fruit: Poem written by Lewis Allen with song performed by Billie Holiday ----------------------------Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is the fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.

The Struggle for Equality: African Americans - - Slavery and the Civil War The 13, 14, and 15 th Amendments 13 = Abolished Slavery 14 = Guaranteed equal protection and due process. 15 = Gave African Americans the right to vote. Jim Crow Laws (Post 1877)

Would you have been able to vote? The Alabama Literacy Test 1. At what time of day on January 20 th does the term of the President end? 2. If the president does not sign a bill, how many days is he allowed in which to return it to Congress for reconsideration? 3. If the United States wishes to purchase land for an arsenal and have exclusive legislative authority over it, consent is required from whom? 4. When is the president not allowed to exercise his power to pardon? 5. Why is the power to grant patents given to Congress? 6. What is a tribunal? 7. If a person charged with treason denies his guilt, how many people must testify against him before he can be convicted?

Landmark Court Cases - Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) - “Separate but equal” Court endorsed Jim Crow Laws The use of race as a criterion of exclusion in public matters was not unreasonable. - Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Women and the Struggle for Equality - United States carried on policies from England when the nation was founded. 1848 – First Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY 19 th Amendment in 1920 gave women the right to vote. ERA

Equality Today African Americans and Women: Notable Gains v. Continued Struggles De facto Discrimination: Discrimination that is the result of social, economic, or cultural biases or conditions. De jure Discrimination: Discrimination based on the law. Equality of Result: Policies aimed at reducing or eliminating de facto discrimination. Examples: Affirmative action and busing

Affirmative Action = Deliberate effort to provide full and equal opportunities in employment, education, and other areas for women, minorities, and individuals belonging to other disadvantaged groups. Many court cases have addressed the issue of affirmative action, including the following examples: Regents of CA v. Bakke (1978) US Steel v. Weber (1979) Wards Cove v. Atonio (1989) Adarand v. Pena (1995)