Deck 5: Civil Rights

Question 1

Are the authors correct when they suggest that the reaction of the federal government to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was driven not by a commitment to social justice but instead by concerns about the effect of racial oppression on the success of American foreign policy?

Answer 1

The authors' suggestion that the reaction of the federal government to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was driven by concerns about the effect of racial oppression on the success of American foreign policy is a complex and debated issue. While it is true that the Cold War context and the desire to present a positive image of the United States to the world played a role in shaping the government's response to the civil rights movement, it would be an oversimplification to say that this was the sole driving force.

There were certainly individuals within the government who were genuinely committed to social justice and equality, and who worked to advance civil rights legislation for moral and ethical reasons. Additionally, the civil rights movement itself was a powerful force that could not be ignored, and the government's response was influenced by a combination of domestic and international pressures.

Ultimately, the federal government's reaction to the civil rights movement was likely shaped by a complex interplay of factors, including concerns about American foreign policy, moral and ethical considerations, domestic political dynamics, and the influence of the civil rights movement itself. Therefore, while the authors' suggestion has some merit, it is important to recognize the multi-faceted nature of the government's response to the civil rights movement.

Question 2

What principles, constitutional or otherwise, were used to justify "separate but equal"? How might the Supreme Court justices who struck down this idea in Brown v. Board of Education have arrived at that decision?

Answer 2

The principle of "separate but equal" was used to justify racial segregation in the United States, particularly in the context of public facilities and education. This principle was based on the idea that while facilities and institutions could be racially segregated, as long as they were equal in quality, the segregation was constitutional and fair.

The constitutional principle used to justify "separate but equal" was based on the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, which states that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. However, this principle was flawed in practice, as the segregated facilities and institutions were almost never truly equal in quality, with African Americans consistently receiving inferior treatment and resources compared to their white counterparts.

In the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the Supreme Court justices arrived at the decision to strike down the idea of "separate but equal" by recognizing that racial segregation in public education was inherently unequal and violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The justices acknowledged that the separate facilities for black and white students were not truly equal, and that the segregation itself created a sense of inferiority among African American children.

The decision in Brown v. Board of Education marked a turning point in the fight against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, and it set a precedent for the dismantling of segregation in all areas of public life. The justices' decision was based on a reexamination of the constitutional principles and a recognition of the inherent inequality and injustice of the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Question 3

How have laws that aim to "protect" women helped maintain gender discrimination? Can laws that people claim to "protect" women be justified?

Answer 3

Laws that aim to "protect" women have often inadvertently helped maintain gender discrimination by reinforcing traditional gender roles and perpetuating the idea that women need special protection because they are inherently weaker or more vulnerable. For example, laws that restrict women's access to certain jobs or industries under the guise of protecting their safety can actually limit their opportunities for advancement and reinforce the stereotype that women are not capable of handling certain responsibilities.

Additionally, some laws that claim to protect women may actually be used to control and oppress them. For example, laws that restrict women's reproductive rights or limit their access to education and employment opportunities can be justified under the guise of protecting women, but in reality, they serve to maintain gender discrimination and inequality.

However, it is important to note that not all laws aimed at protecting women are inherently discriminatory. There are certainly instances where laws are necessary to address specific forms of gender-based violence or discrimination, such as laws against domestic violence or sexual harassment. In these cases, the intent of the law is to address a specific harm or injustice that disproportionately affects women, and can be justified in the pursuit of gender equality.

Ultimately, the key is to critically examine the impact and intent of laws that claim to protect women, and to ensure that they are not reinforcing harmful stereotypes or perpetuating gender discrimination. Laws should be designed to promote gender equality and empower women, rather than perpetuate their subjugation.

Question 4

What has been the effect of Title IX on college athletics? Are critics correct when they argue that Title IX has helped women's athletics, but only at the expense of men's sports?

Question 5

Public opinion about same-sex marriage has changed rapidly. What might account for the shift in the public's view of same-sex marriage?

Question 6

America is called "a nation of immigrants," yet many Americans are very conflicted about current immigration and immigration policy. Why might this be? Have Americans always been conflicted about this issue?

Question 7

As a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965:

A) The age requirement for voting in national elections was dropped to 18
B) Literacy tests for voters were encouraged
C) Tests for voter registration were effectively made illegal
D) Voters were required to demonstrate a working knowledge of the Constitution

Question 8

Civil liberties differ from civil rights because civil rights refer to protection:

A) Of individual freedoms, not criminal rights
B) Of majority freedoms, not minority rights
C) From government action, not from other citizens
D) From other citizens, not from government action

Question 9

If people were denied service in a restaurant because of their race, their rights would have been violated according to:

A) The Plessy v. Ferguson decision
B) The Thirteenth Amendment
C) President Kennedy's antidiscrimination order
D) The 1964 Civil Rights Act

Question 10

In this country, civil rights are best expressed as:

A) Absolute political and social equality
B) Absolute freedom of speech and action
C) Guarantees of government protection against discrimination or unfair treatment
D) The rights of minority groups

Question 11

Joining the fight to end segregation, the ____ was formed in 1909.

A) Southern Christian Leadership Conference
B) Libertarian Party
C) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
D) Freedom Riders

Question 12

Many of the goals included in Proposition 187 were accepted by the federal passage of:

A) The First Amendment
B) The PATRIOT Act
C) The Illegal Immigrant Act
D) The Welfare Reform Act

Question 13

Supreme Court rulings in Williams v. Saxbe, Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, and Harris v. Forklift have all applied Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to cases of:

A) Public school segregation
B) Sexual harassment
C) Housing discrimination
D) Pay discrimination

Question 14

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision was important because it stated that:

A) "In the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place."
B) "Children are an exception to the 'separate but equal' doctrine."
C) "No child, regardless of race, would be left behind."
D) "Public education cannot exclude anyone."

Question 15

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations because it:

A) Interferes with the flow of interstate commerce
B) Violates the Fourteenth Amendment
C) Violates the Thirteenth Amendment
D) Contradicts the rulings in the Civil Rights Cases of 1883.

Question 16

Chief Justice Roberts has argued the most effective way to eliminate racial discrimination is to:

A) Encourage affirmative action
B) Use quotas
C) Provide goals and targets
D) Eliminate racial discrimination

Question 17

The Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Virginia is important because it:

A) Prohibited gender discrimination
B) Outlawed military institutions
C) Exempted the military from gender discrimination cases
D) Applied the strict scrutiny standard to gender discrimination

Question 18

The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 defines marriage as:

A) "A legal union to be recognized by all states"
B) "The legal union between two consenting adults"
C) "A union between two U.S. citizens"
D) "The legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife"

Question 19

The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution:

A) Gives women the right to vote
B) Guarantees equal rights for women
C) Ensures equal protection under the law
D) Protects the use of affirmative action programs

Question 20

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a landmark case for which of the following constitutional issues?

A) School prayer
B) Sex discrimination
C) Comparable worth
D) Affirmative action

Question 21

Initially, the Supreme Court was reluctant to extend privacy protections to homosexuals, arguing in Bowers v. Hardwick that:

A) Homosexuality is morally wrong.
B) The right to privacy does not extend to homosexuals.
C) Homosexuality is a choice, and therefore homosexuals are choosing to be treated differently.
D) The majority's belief in the immorality of homosexuality outweighs the right to privacy.

Question 22

The Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson:

A) Established principles for integrating public schools
B) Established the separate but equal doctrine
C) Prohibited all racial segregation
D) Prohibited all Jim Crow laws

Question 23

The first time American women organized themselves politically was to fight for:

A) The right to vote
B) The right to own property
C) The right to use birth control
D) The abolition of slavery

Question 24

The first women's rights conference was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in:

A) 1800
B) 1840
C) 1848
D) 1880

Question 25

The most important steps toward ending racial discrimination in the United States came with passage of which three amendments?

A) The First, Second, and Third
B) The Fifth, Seventh, and Tenth
C) The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
D) The Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth

Question 26

The original Constitution did not include a specific listing of civil rights and liberties, according to most historians, because:

A) There was significant dispute over what these rights should include.
B) The Framers did not agree on the definition of citizenship.
C) English common law provided no framework for such a listing.
D) The Framers felt it was unnecessary.

Question 27

The wage gap between men and women represents employers' failure to abide by:

A) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
B) The Equal Pay Act of 1963
C) The federal court's ruling
D) State legislation

Question 28

Voter registration rates for African Americans in 1961 were:

A) Under 10%
B) Over 80%
C) The same as white registration rates
D) Never measured until the twenty-first century

Question 29

When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875, the Supreme Court:

A) Applied it to the states
B) Applied it to the federal government
C) Used it to punish private discrimination
D) Struck it down

Question 30

Who first directed the Legal Defense Fund that as created to directly attack segregation in the courts?

A) Earl Warren
B) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
C) William O. Douglas
D) Thurgood Marshall

Question 31

Proposition 187, adopted in California in 1994, attempted to address the issues surrounding undocumented immigrants by:

A) Arresting and deporting them
B) Denying them health care, education, and social services
C) Denying them entry into public places
D) Not allowing them to obtain driver's licenses

Question 32

When law enforcement officers use race or ethnicity to determine how to enforce a law, they are:

A) Protected by the Constitution
B) Using racial profiling
C) Protected by the PATRIOT Act
D) Violating the Eighth Amendment

Question 33

The Thirteenth Amendment:

A) Banned slavery
B) Said the right to vote could not be restricted based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude
C) Required states to provide equal protection for all of their citizens
D) Was repealed in 1945

Question 34

The Fourteenth Amendment:

A) Banned slavery
B) Said the right to vote could not be restricted based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude
C) Required states to provide equal protection for all of their citizens
D) Was repealed in 1945

Question 35

The Fifteenth Amendment:

A) Banned slavery
B) Said the right to vote could not be restricted based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude
C) Required states to provide equal protection for all of their citizens
D) Was repealed in 1945

Question 36

According to the myth of guaranteed political and social equality, participation in ____ is open to all.

A) social systems
B) economic systems
C) political systems
D) All of the above

Question 37

Which amendment says the right to vote cannot be denied based on race?

A) The Twelfth
B) The Thirteenth
C) The Fourteenth
D) The Fifteenth

Question 38

During the Reconstruction period:

A) Former slaves began to assimilate into society.
B) Former slaves were ignored by the North.
C) Southern troops were used to keep former slaves from voting.
D) Every former male slave was given forty acres and a mule.

Question 39

The Civil Rights Act of 1875:

A) Guaranteed African American voting rights
B) Forbade the separation of the races in public accommodations
C) Was designed to help women earn the right to vote
D) Targeted immigrants from Asia

Question 40

What kept southern states from discriminating against former slaves during Reconstruction?

A) The Civil Rights Act of 1875
B) The deployment of soldiers in southern states
C) The Supreme Court decisions of the 1870s
D) The Thirteenth Amendment

Question 41

The Civil Rights Act of 1875:

A) Guaranteed African American voting rights
B) Was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1883
C) Was never signed by the president
D) Was signed by President Grover Cleveland

Question 42

When the Supreme Court struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, it argued that:

A) The Fourteenth Amendment only regulated state-imposed segregation.
B) The Thirteenth Amendment did not apply to racial discrimination.
C) It was a violation of the Tenth Amendment.
D) It was a violation of federalism.

Question 43

The Plessy v. Ferguson decision:

A) Overturned the Civil Rights Act of 1875
B) Established the separate but equal doctrine
C) Ended the Reconstruction period
D) Is still valid today

Question 44

Jim Crow laws:

A) Prevented freed slaves from voting.
B) Were used to separate whites and African Americans
C) Were upheld after the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision
D) Were developed during the Civil War

Question 45

In 1909, the NAACP originally tried to:

A) Get the president to sign an executive order granting freed slaves the right to vote
B) Encourage Congress to pass a law banning racial discrimination
C) Organize protests in the streets to fight racial segregation
D) Create scholarship funds for African Americans to attend college

Question 46

The Legal Defense Fund was created by the NAACP to:

A) Fight racial segregation in the courts
B) Encourage Congress to pass a law banning racial discrimination
C) Organize protests in the streets to fight racial segregation
D) Encourage African Americans to become lawyers

Question 47

The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas overturned:

A) Plessy v. Ferguson
B) Gibbons v. Ogden
C) Marbury v. Madison
D) Buckley v. Valeo

Question 48

In the follow-up to the Brown decision, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools needed to desegregate:

A) Immediately
B) Within five years
C) With all deliberate speed
D) Whenever possible

Question 49

When segregationist public officials ignored court-ordered desegregation, they were considered to be a part of the:

A) Ku Klux Klan
B) Massive resistance movement
C) Sons of the Confederacy
D) Groups arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Question 50

The elected leaders of Prince Edward County, Virginia, were so opposed to desegregating their schools that they:

A) Armed the white teachers to stop African American students from entering the schools
B) Forced the African American population to move to another county
C) Closed their public schools entirely for six years
D) Attempted to secede from the United States

Question 51

President _____ sent 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect African American students.

A) Truman
B) Eisenhower
C) Kennedy
D) Johnson

Question 52

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 pushed school districts to desegregate by:

A) Offering logistical assistance to any district that needed it
B) Authorizing the FBI to intervene in districts that moved too slowly
C) Threatening to withhold educational funds from districts that did not desegregate
D) Allowing the Department of Education to take over school districts that had not developed a plan to address Brown

Question 53

Segregation mandated by law is called:

A) De facto segregation
B) De jure segregation
C) Institutionalized segregation
D) Unintended segregation

Question 54

Segregation not established by law is called:

A) De facto segregation
B) De jure segregation
C) Institutionalized segregation
D) Unintended segregation

Question 55

______ has proven harder to correct than ______.

A) De facto segregation; de jure segregation
B) De jure segregation; de facto segregation
C) Institutionalized segregation; de facto segregation
D) De jure segregation; unintended segregation

Question 56

Recent court decisions have made it _____ to address issues of de facto segregation in school systems.

A) illegal
B) more difficult
C) easier
D) impossible

Question 57

How did the Brown decision impact discrimination in public accommodations?

A) It mandated that communities eliminate Jim Crow laws.
B) It required the federal government to enforce antidiscrimination laws.
C) It empowered the Department of Justice to prosecute business owners who did not desegregate.
D) None of the above

Question 58

Rosa Parks' refusal to obey Jim Crow laws started the:

A) Watts riots
B) Montgomery Bus Boycott
C) NAACP
D) March on Washington

Question 59

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 used congressional power over ____ to force desegregation in public accommodations

A) interstate commerce
B) the federal budget
C) state courts
D) free speech

Question 60

Anti-miscegenation laws prohibited:

A) Discrimination based upon previous condition of servitude
B) African Americans from entering whites-only churches
C) African Americans and whites from marrying
D) Local law enforcement from using racial profiling

Question 61

Efforts to limit African American voting after the end of Reconstruction were:

A) Generally ineffective
B) Essentially nonexistent
C) Effective at driving down African American voter turnout
D) Effective at driving down turnout for all groups, including whites

Question 62

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act required states with a history of discrimination to:

A) Change their registration laws to encourage African American voting
B) Get preclearance from the Department of Justice before changing any voting laws
C) Actively encourage African Americans to go to the polls
D) None of the above

Question 63

One of the consequences of the Shelby County v. Holder decision is that:

A) African Americans can no longer sue under the Voting Rights Act.
B) All remaining Jim Crow laws have been struck down.
C) The Department of Justice must now demonstrate that new voting laws are intended to cause racial discrimination before it can act.
D) African Americans no long need to provide proof that their grandparents were eligible to vote when entering a polling place.

Question 64

Immediately following the Shelby County v. Holder decision:

A) Riots broke out in Montgomery, Alabama.
B) Several southern states passed voter identification laws.
C) African American voter turnout increased dramatically.
D) Freed slaves were given forty acres and a mule.

Question 65

Since the founding of the United States, white women:

A) Have been able to own property
B) Have been able to vote
C) Have been considered citizens
D) All of the above

Question 66

The early women's rights movement was closely tied to:

A) The Democratic Party
B) The Republican Party
C) The abolitionist movement
D) The secessionist movement

Question 67

Early efforts to extend the right to vote to women were sidetracked by:

A) The Great Depression
B) The Civil War
C) The battle over the silver standard
D) The Louisiana Purchase

Question 68

Susan B. Anthony was arrested for:

A) Voting
B) Chaining herself to the entrance to the White House
C) Advocating for the abolition of slavery
D) Setting fire to a U.S. flag

Question 69

Many feminists wanted to add the right to vote to:

A) The Civil Rights Act of 1875
B) The Fifteenth Amendment
C) State constitutions
D) All of the above

Question 70

The Congressional Union was made up of:

A) Members of the Senate opposed to racial equality
B) Lobbyists working on behalf of voter rights for African Americans
C) Women protesting for the right to vote
D) Members of the House of Representatives who wrote Reconstruction legislation

Question 71

The right to vote for women was included in the:

A) Fourteenth Amendment
B) Fifteenth Amendment
C) Eighteenth Amendment
D) Nineteenth Amendment

Question 72

The Goesaert v. Cleary decision in 1948:

A) Forced states to allow women to register to vote
B) Allowed states to discriminate against women in the workplace
C) Permitted racially divided public restrooms
D) Was the first step towards desegregating schools that would be completed in Brown

Question 73

In 1996, the Supreme Court ruled that the Virginia Military Institute:

A) Must create a parallel program for women
B) Should be allowed to continue the practice of only admitting males
C) Could only be considered in compliance with the Fourteenth Amendment if it started admitting female students
D) Should be shut down completely because of decades of past discrimination

Question 74

The decision in the case involving the Virginia Military Institute:

A) Raised the level of scrutiny the courts would apply to gender discrimination cases
B) Made it nearly impossible to claim gender discrimination in college admissions procedures
C) Forced universities to offer the same sports to male and female students
D) Required that all state-funded higher education institutions hire equal numbers of male and female faculty

Question 75

The barriers that prevent women from moving into higher-level management positions are commonly called:

A) The petticoat wall
B) The glass ceiling
C) The gender gap
D) Jim Crow laws

Question 76

Currently, women working full time earn:

A) As much as men working full time
B) More than men working full time
C) 5% less than men working full time
D) Significantly less than men working full time

Question 77

The case involving Lilly Ledbetter was focused on:

A) Voting rights
B) Discrimination in child custody cases
C) Equal pay
D) The right of women to serve in the armed forces

Question 78

In the twenty-first century, women are:

A) More likely than men to go to college
B) Equally likely as men to go to college
C) Significantly less likely than men to graduate from college
D) Slightly less likely than men to graduate from college

Question 79

Title IX prohibits:

A) Discrimination in the workplace based on gender
B) Discrimination in education based on gender
C) Discrimination in the armed services based on gender
D) All of the above

Question 80

Sexual harassment in which a supervisor demands sexual favors in exchange for a raise or promotion is known as:

A) Ladder-climbing harassment
B) Quid pro quo harassment
C) Institutional harassment
D) Economic harassment