Title: Today
1Todays Agenda
- Whats so hard about Civil Rights?
- Where do they come from?
- The state and federal fight over civil rights
- a) The Civil War and its aftermath
- Post-Civil War, the fight continues
- a) Jim Crow laws
2The bus boycott 1955
3Selma March 1965
- http//www.youtube.com/watch?vALyk8xOc5ZU
4LBJs speech after the Selma march
- There is no constitutional issue here. The
command of the Constitution is plain. There is no
moral issue. It is wrong -- deadly wrong -- to
deny any of your fellow Americans the right to
vote in this country. There is no issue of
States' rights or national rights. There is only
the struggle for human rights.
5What are Civil Rights?
- If government is a loaded gun in a playground
full of kids - Civil rights are the safety mechanism
6Japanese Internment
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vSOGSnx2k7b8
7What are Civil Rights?
- If government is a loaded gun in a playground
full of kids - Civil rights are the safety mechanism
- Guarantees against someone using government to
abuse you - To gain economic or political advantages over you
- Things Government must provide
8Everybody on the Same Page?
- Do people get their rights simply because they
are in the Constitution? - Are states beholden to these rights?
9Dred Scott Case 1857
- Dred Scott, a slave, travels through the North
and claims that he cannot be returned to
servitude because he has the right to be free. - The government cannot take away his freedom
- Southern states claim that he is property and
must be returned - Also, the feds cannot tell the states what to do
about slavery
10Dred Scott Case 1857
- Were slaves citizens or property?
- North should be accorded the same rights as
whites - South the Feds cannot deny my right to property
- Only the second time the Supreme Court overrules
an Act of Congress
11Civil War Amendments
- 13th - slavery is abolished formally
12Civil War Amendments
- 13th - slavery is abolished formally
- 14th - all persons born or naturalized in the
United States...are citizens of the United States
and of the State wherein they reside.
13Civil War Amendments
- 13th - slavery is abolished formally
- 14th - all persons born or naturalized in the
United States...are citizens of the United States
and of the State wherein they reside. - No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of
citizens of the United States nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law nor deny to
any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws.
14Civil War Amendments
- 13th - slavery is abolished formally
- 14th - all persons born or naturalized in the
United States...are citizens of the United States
and of the State wherein they reside. - No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of
citizens of the United States nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law nor deny to
any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws. - 15th - right to vote is guaranteed in all states,
regardless of race, color, or previous servitude
15Jim Crow Laws
- Grandfather Clauses
- Poll Taxes
- White Primary
- Literacy Tests
16Literacy Tests
- What body can try impeachments of the President
of the United States?
17Literacy Tests
- What body can try impeachments of the President
of the United States? - At what time of day on Jan. 20 does the
Presidents term end?
18Literacy Tests
- What body can try impeachments of the President
of the United States? - At what time of day on Jan. 20 does the
Presidents term end? - Can you imprisoned for debt?
19Literacy Tests
- What body can try impeachments of the President
of the United States? - At what time of day on Jan. 20 does the
Presidents term end? - Can you imprisoned for debt?
- In what year did Congress gain the right to
prohibit the migration of persons to the United
States?
20Literacy Tests
- What body can try impeachments of the President
of the United States? - At what time of day on Jan. 20 does the
Presidents term end? - Can you imprisoned for debt?
- In what year did Congress gain the right to
prohibit the migration of persons to the United
States? - If a person accused of treason denies his guilt,
how many people must testify against him before
he can be convicted?
21Jim Crow Laws
- Grandfather Clauses
- Poll Taxes
- White Primary
- Literacy Tests
22Apartheid
- Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896)
- Separate but Equal
- Residential segregation
- Segregation in schools
- Economic segregation
23Domestic Terrorism
24A Night Rider (1908)
25American Lynching
- A documentary film by Gode Davis and James M.
Fortier - http//www.americanlynching.com/
26Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith (1930)
27What are factions?
- a number of citizens (either a majority or
minority number) who are united and actuated by
some common impulse of passion, or of interest,
adversed to the rights of other citizens - James Madison, Federalist 10
28Review Question 2
- True or False?
- In the United States, elections only take place
on even-numbered years.
29Review Question 3
- The framers feared majority rule because they
thought it could have which of the following
negative effects? - It would hamper swift decision making
- It could undermine freedom and threaten
individual rights - Decision-making in a large society would be
extremely difficult - All of the above
- None of the above
30Remember This!
- The framers made it VERY hard to let the federal
government do its job (on purpose), because they
distrusted its power. - Rights and liberties are part of that distrust of
power. - They literally had to spell them out.
31Remember This!
- The framers made it VERY hard to let the federal
government do its job (on purpose), because they
distrusted its power. - Rights and liberties are part of that distrust of
power. - The framers literally had to spell them out.
- You need to understand that personal freedom
often trumps effective government in our
Constitution (blasphemy!).
32Makes it hard to
- Fight wars
- Fight crime
- Build a culture
- Why cant I outlaw Dane Cook and Paris H.?
- Build roads
- not in my backyard!
- Run your government
- the press is killing me!
- Clean or protect the environment
- I have property rights!
33Jim Crow Era
34Jim Crow Era
35Historical Changes
- Black voters originally tied to Republican Party
- Party of abolition and Lincoln
- 1930s (Depression hits, New Deal)
- Roosevelt (FDR) uses federal government goodies
to distribute to people evenly - Nearly 20 years of Democratic federal control
- Court appointments
- Black (voters) moving North
36Historical Changes
- Truman integrates the armed forces
- 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
- Reverses Separate but Equal
- Isnt education a state responsibility?
- What trumps this state claim?
37Can the Courts Enforce?
38Power of Faction
39State or Federal Control?
40Keep these themes in mind
- Use of non-violence as a political tactic
- How is this different than using the courts to
press for change? - Federal vs. State sovereignty
- Role of the press and what it does
41LBJs speech after the Selma march
- There is no constitutional issue here. The
command of the Constitution is plain. There is no
moral issue. It is wrong -- deadly wrong -- to
deny any of your fellow Americans the right to
vote in this country. There is no issue of
States' rights or national rights. There is only
the struggle for human rights.
421964 Civil Rights Act
- Discrimination in public accommodations outlawed
- Withhold federal funds from segregated schools
- Barred employment discrimination
431965 Voting Rights Act
- Vote examiners sent to southern states to monitor
vote process - Literacy tests outlawed
- Bringing a court case against a state or local
government became easier
44Effects of 1965 VRA
Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988) Voter Registration Rates (1965 vs. 1988)
March 1965 March 1965 March 1965 November 1988 November 1988 November 1988
Black White Difference Black White Difference
Alabama 19.3 69.2 49.9 68.4 75.0 6.6
Georgia 27.4 62.6 35.2 56.8 63.9 7.1
Louisiana 31.6 80.5 48.9 77.1 75.1 -2.0
Mississippi 6.7 69.9 63.2 74.2 80.5 6.3
N. Carolina 46.8 96.8 50.0 58.2 65.6 7.4
S. Carolina 37.3 75.7 38.4 56.7 61.8 5.1
Virginia 38.3 61.1 22.8 63.8 68.5 4.7
45Effects of VRA
Black Political Representation (1970 to 2001) Black Political Representation (1970 to 2001) Black Political Representation (1970 to 2001) Black Political Representation (1970 to 2001) Black Political Representation (1970 to 2001)
1970 1980 1990 2001
Fed./State Representatives 179 365 465 668
City/County 715 2,807 4,481 5,452
Law Enforcement 213 528 769 1,044
Boards of Ed. 362 1,214 1,655 1,937
Total 1,469 4,914 7,370 9,101
46- Discrimination
- Loving
- Shelley (state action)
- Reed So far, the Court had only decided one
gender discrimination case in favor of the woman.
This was a case in which divorced parents were
deciding who would be in charge of the estate - Frontiero
47- Gender
- Pre-Reed
- Before women could be prevented from practicing
law, serving on juries, working as barmaids,
voting (before the constitutional amendment), - Supreme Court of Illinios That God designed the
sexes to occupy different spheres of action, and
that it belonged to men to make, apply, and
execute the laws, was regarded as an almost
axiomatic truth . . . -
- Supreme Court during the Lochner era the
physical well-being of woman becomes an object of
public interest and care in order to preserve the
strength and vigor of the race (comparing women
with children since they are incapable of
taking care of themselves, they need the help of
government protection, just like children). - Barmaid as long as the reason is
entertainable -
- Frontiero woman in the military her husband
was going to school and dependent on her. Women
were automatically granted dependence on
husbands, not husbands on wives, though.
48- Craig
- Oklahoma had a law that said that if you were a
woman, you could drink when you are 18, but if
you were a man, you had to wait until you were
21. 93 of those arrested for drunk driving were
male, and arrests had increased 138. -
- strict scrutiny test presumption of
unconstitutionality least restrictive means
for a compelling state interest this probably
isnt the least restrictive means -
- rational basis reasonable measure for a
legitimate purpose there is a legitimate
purpose since men drink and drive more -
- OK. For doctrines, such as clear and present
danger, and the tests five people have to sign
onto that doctrine. That was the problem here
only four agreed to strict scrutiny. Otherwise,
it is just dicta. -
- heightened WHAT?
- Important and substantially related.
49- Craig
- What does Craig teach you about rights, liberties
and the Supreme Court? - Jurisprudence?
- Bargaining
- Political
50Other Civil Rights Issues
- Elderly Rights
- Disabled Rights
- Gay Rights
- Womens Rights
- Parent Rights
- Latino Voting Rights
51Clint Eastwood