Civil Rights Definition of Civil Rights Civil Rights

Civil Rights

Definition of Civil Rights • Civil Rights – The positive acts of government that seek to make constitutional guarantees a reality for all people • Prohibitions of discrimination.

A short history of discrimination and Civil Rights in America? • Slavery • Abolished in 1865 with the 13 th Amendment • 14 th Amendment, 1865 • Passed to protect the rights of former slaves • Equal Protection Clause • Jim Crow Era (Segregation), 1800 – 1960 s • Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896 • Upheld segregation. • Separate-but-equal-doctrine • Civil Rights Movement • Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 • Ended segregation in schools • Civil Rights Act of 1964, et al. • Voting Rights Act of 1965, et al.

Book Work • Read pages 602 -606 in text and answer questions 1 -4 in text. • Read first then answer the questions!!!

Federal Civil Rights Laws • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or physical disability. • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 • Abolished state poll tax laws, literacy tests, and appointed federal poll monitors. • Affirmative Action • A policy requiring that most employers take positive steps to remedy the effects of past discriminations. • This applies to all the agencies of the Federal Government, all the states and their local governments, and to all private employers who deal with the Federal Government.