The Struggle for Equal Rights Chapter 6 For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. In this chapter we will learn about • The meaning of political inequality • The struggle of African Americans to claim rights denied them because of race • The struggle of Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans to claim rights denied them because of race or ethnicity • Women’s battle for rights denied them on the basis of gender • The fight by other groups in society to claim rights denied them on a variety of bases • The relationship of citizens to civil rights For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Laws that treat people differently • Suspect classifications – Strict scrutiny • Quasisuspect classifications – Intermediate standard of review • Nonsuspect classifications – Minimum rationality test For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race: African Americans • The aftermath of the Civil War – Black codes – Reconstruction • Segregation and the era of Jim Crow – Poll taxes – Literacy tests – Grandfather clauses For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race: African Americans, cont’d. • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) – Establishes “separate but equal” doctrine – Upholds segregation • Attempts to overturn Plessy – Missouri ex rel Gaines v. Canada (1938) – Sweatt v. Painter (1950) – Brown v. Board of Education (1954) For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race: African Americans, cont’d. • The development of the civil rights movement – Bus boycotts – Sit-ins – Nonviolent protests For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race: African Americans, cont’d. De jure discrimination • Discrimination arising from or supported by law • E.g., segregated restrooms • Easier to combat • Overcome with procedural policies For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. De facto discrimination • Discrimination that is the result of tradition or habit • E.g., neighborhoods in northern cities • Harder to combat • Overcome with substantive policies Blacks in contemporary politics • The economic outlook for blacks • Political representation • Affirmative action today For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race or ethnicity: Native Americans • Native Americans and the U.S. government • Political strategies • Contemporary challenges For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race or ethnicity: Hispanic Americans • Diversity • English-Only movement • Controversy over immigration • Political strategies For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of race or ethnicity: Asian Americans • Diversity • Discrimination • Price of prosperity • Political strategies For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of gender • Women’s place in the early 19th century – Few rights – Basically the property of their husbands • Birth of the women’s rights movement – Seneca Falls Convention For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of gender, cont’d. • Battle for suffrage – Began in the states – Wyoming: first state to grant suffrage – States slow to follow Wyoming’s lead – Ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of gender, cont’d. • Battle for the Equal Rights Amendment • Reasons the ERA failed: – Fear of radical social change – Roe v. Wade (1973) – Supreme Court’s interpretation of 14th Amendment For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of gender, cont’d. • Gender discrimination today – Pay inequity – Glass ceiling – Sexual harassment – Pregnancy discrimination For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on the basis of gender, cont’d. • Women in contemporary politics – Underrepresented in government – Increasing number of women candidates – Representation is on the rise For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on other bases: sexual orientation • The sodomy cases – Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) – Lawrence v. Texas (2003) • The controversy over same-sex marriage – The Massachusetts Supreme Court For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on other bases: sexual orientation, cont’d. • Employment discrimination – ENDA • Public opinion and gay rights – Young are most supportive of gay rights For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press. Rights denied on other bases • Age • Disability • Citizenship For use with Keeping the Republic. Copyright © 2006 by CQ Press.