Understanding Equality in the U.S. Political System

1. Chapter SixEqual Rights Instructor: Kevin Sexton Course: U.S. Political Systems Southeast Missouri State University

2. Equal Doesn’t Always Mean Equal People sometime use the word EQUAL in ways that are misleading. ****************************************************************************** Which is equal: 2 = 1.9999999999999999999 Or 2 = 2 ********************************************************************** When we talk about equality we are not talking about being “treated exactly the same.” It is sometimes impossible, and not always prudent to treat all people “exactly the same.” *********************************************************************** IN FACT, IT IS SOMETIMES LEGAL TO DISCRIMINATE

3. Equal Doesn’t Always Mean Equal (Continued) The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled, repeatedly that government does not have to treat everyone the same. Because there are sometimes situations that prevent treating everyone “exactly the same (ie. Myself and Bill Clinton being charged with the same crime). To try and show when certain discriminatory practices/laws are Constitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court has created three distinct TESTS or STANDARDS. REASONABLE-BASIS INTERMEDIATE SCRUTINY STRICT-SCRUTINY

4. Civil Rights versus Civil Liberties Civil Rights Are protections provided BY the government. Civil Liberties Are protections provided FROM the government

5. Civil Rights&Equal Treatment A more specific explanation of CIVIL RIGHTS is that CIVIL RIGHTS are the means by which the Government can ensure all people receive “equal treatment under the law.”

6. Civil Rights Are Not Only The Rights Provided To African Americans We will look primarily at the African American’s fight for Civil Rights because: • They were the 1st to fight for their civil rights. • AND • All other groups after them followed their example in their fight.

7. Civil Rights After The Civil War Were All American Citizens Treated Equally Under The Law, Even After The Civil War? NO! Black Codes were a perfect example of how the white Majority continued to tyrannize the black minority. Congress responded to the black codes with passage of the county’s first major Civil Rights legislation. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1866

8. “Equal Protection Clause” In 1868 The 14th Amendment was passed. As we know, the 14th Amendment declared that the STATES had To guarantee each citizen “due process of law,” It also stated that the STATES has to provide each of it’s Citizens EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW. The treatment of the freed slaves improved. But as we will see in the next slide, the improvements were temporary.

9. Civil Rights During Reconstruction Reconstruction:The Period After the Civil War when the Southern states were subject to a MILITARY OCCUPATION by the Federal Army. During this period of time, most whites were prevented from voting. For this reason many freedmen, freed slaves, were elected to many offices, from mayor and other local offices, to the U.S. Congress. This period, although it was very brief was the first time during U.S. history that African Americans had any true level of Equality.

10. These Civil Rights were short-lived!WHY? The Election of 1876 No candidate got a majority of the votes in the ELECTORAL COLLEGE. Therefore Congress got to chose the president, from the top three vote getters. The Republicans went to the Southern Democrats and promised to end reconstruction IF They supported Rutherford B. Hayes for the presidency. The Southern Democrats supported Hayes AND Rutherford B. Hayes become president & the federal army was removed from the south. The white majority regained much of the power over the freed slaves that they enjoyed before the Civil War and the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

11. State Sponsored Discrimination As the federal army left, all of the protection that it provided the Freed slaves also left. The “equal protection clause” said all citizens needed to be Treated equally. What the southern states did was pass A series of election laws that appeared to treat all citizens equally, but in fact prevented most if not all freed slaves from voting. Examples: Poll Tax Grandfather Clause White Primaries

12. Jim Crow Voting was not the only right of African Americans that was limited. African Americans were restricted in where they could: Go To School Eat Live Sit When On Public Transportation The laws segregating the races were known as JIM CROW LAWS

13. How Could These Laws Survive?What About The 14th Amendment? The states were not the only one that continued to hold prejudiced views of African Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court handed down several very Important decisions in the late 1800s. State Action Doctrine & Separate But Equal Doctrine

14. State Action Doctrine 1883 decision by the Supreme Court which stated that Only the actions of state and local governments must Conform to the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Congress could tell the state and local governments that they Could not discriminate against individuals, but Congress could Not tell private individuals that they couldn’t discriminate. Allowed discrimination in many forms to legally continue well Into the 1960s and 1970s.

15. Separate But Equal Plessy v Ferguson, 1896 • 8 to 1 Supreme Court Vote • As long as facilities are provided, it did not matter that the • facilities were separate. • Established the “Separate but Equal” doctrine. THIS WOULD BE THE STANDARD FOR THE NEXT 58 YEARS

16. Overcoming Plessy v Ferguson In 1909 the civil rights organization, the National Association for The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded. This would the primary group that carried out the movement that has come to be known as “The Civil Rights Movement.” The NAACP made a decision, early in the movement to attempt to change the discrimination and prejudice by taking their case to the Courts.

17. Why use the US Courts instead of Congress? They chose to use the US Courts because: They felt that the electoral strength of the African American was to small to make truly effective changes. AND It would be much easier to convince one level of the courts (US Supreme) of their position, than to try And convince 48 state legislatures or even The two house of the US Congress And The President of the United States

18. Brown v Board of Education Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954) • Unanimous Supreme Court Decision Which Reversed • the “separate but equal doctrine” • The decision of the Court based on the fact that the segregation • created a sense of inferiority among black children. Developed the concept that we operate by today. Separate Is Inherently Unequal

19. Civil Rights After Brown Did discrimination end with the Brown decision? NO. Why? Federalism and the level of state and local control over elections and voting rights. Over the next 15-20 years Congress would get involved in the issues of voting and elections with the passage of some key pieces of Civil Rights legislation.

20. Key Civil Rights Legislation • Civil Rights Act of 1957: • Established U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. • Made it a federal crime to prevent a person from voting. • Civil Rights Act of 1960: • Allowed the federal government to appoint “referees” to • register voters denied the right to vote by a pattern or • practice of discrimination. • Civil Rights Act of 1964: • Defined literacy as having a 6th grade education. • Barred discrimination on basis of color, race, religion, of • nationality in most public businesses. • Barred discrimination for employment based on above reasons. • Established Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to • enforce employment discrimination rules.

21. Key Civil Rights Legislation(Continued) • Voting Rights Act of 1965: • allowed for appointment of voting examiners in place of local • officials in all areas were less than 50% of eligible voters • actually voted in the 1964 presidential election. • outlawed the use of literacy tests and other similar practices • designed to prevent African Americans from voting. • Age Discrimination Act of 1967 • Rehabilitation Act of 1973: • barred discrimination “solely” on the basis of disability. • Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988: • applied anti-sex discrimination standards to programs getting • federal funds.

22. Discrimination is GONE? De Jure discrimination is illegal. (government sponsored discrimination or segregation) BUT De Facto Discrimination CONTINUES. (discrimination or segregation based the decisions of private individuals)

23. A shift in the Civil Rights Movement There has been a shift in the focus of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States The shift has been from A focus on Equal Opportunity to A focus on Equal Outcome