Chapter 5 Study Guide – Civil Rights and Public Policy
Racial Equality: Two Centuries of Struggle
1. What does the Constitution say about equality?
2. Define Fourteenth Amendment:
a. Why is this important in terms of the discussion of equality and the Constitution?
3. Define equal protection of the laws:
4. Describe each of the following levels of scrutiny/standards of review used by the Supreme
Court to determine whether a particular form of discrimination is permissible:
a. Reasonable classification:
i. Example:
b. Inherently suspect:
i. Example:
c. Intermediate standard:
i. Example:
Race, the Constitution, and Public Policy
5. Why is the Supreme Court case Scott v. Sandford significant?
6. Define Thirteenth Amendment:
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7. Describe the condition of African Americans during the “era of reconstruction and
resegregation”:
8. Why is the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson significant?
9. Why is the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education significant?
a. Describe the effects of the Brown v. Board decision on the civil rights movement:
10. Why is the Supreme Court case Swann v. Mecklenberg County Schools significant?
11. Describe the difference between de jure segregation and de facto segregation:
12. Describe the trend depicted in Figure 5.1:
13. What explains the “marked increase in public policies seeking to foster racial equality” in
the 1950s and 1960s?
14. Define Civil Rights Act of 1964:
a. Why was this Act so significant?
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Getting and Using the Right to Vote
15. Define suffrage, include the Amendments that expanded suffrage:
a. In the early republic, who had the right to vote?
16. Define Fifteenth Amendment:
a. Identify and describe each of the methods that were used to prevent African
Americans from voting after the ratification of the 15th Amendment:
17. Define Twenty-fourth Amendment:
18. Define Voting Rights Act of 1965:
a. What were the effects of the 24th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
19. Explain how redistricting is related to the Voting Rights Act:
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a. Define minority-majority district:
b. What is racial gerrymandering?
Other Minority Groups
20. What is the largest minority group in the US?
21. Why is the Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States significant?
Women, The Constitution and Public Policy
22. Define Nineteenth Amendment:
23. What was the state of the feminist movement in the period 1920-1960?
a. Define Equal Rights Amendment:
i. What happened to the ERA? Did it become part of the Constitution?
24. Why is the Supreme Court case Reed v. Reed significant?
25. Why is the Supreme Court case Craig v. Boren significant?
26. What evidence is there that wage discrimination occurs?
a. What has the Supreme Court said about wage discrimination and comparable
worth issues?
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Newly Active Groups Under the Civil Rights Umbrella
27. What is the fastest growing age group in the US? Why is this important to recognize?
28. How has the Supreme Court dealt with age discrimination issues?
Civil Rights and People with Disabilities
29. Define Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990:
a. How effective was the ADA? Why?
Gay and Lesbian Rights
30. How has the Supreme Court ruled regarding gay and lesbian rights’ cases? How have the
Court’s decisions evolved over time?
31. What is the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy?
a. What recently happened to DADT? (This is not in the book.)
32. What is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)?
33. How have states dealt with the issue of same-sex marriage?
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Affirmative Action
34. Define affirmative action:
35. What is the goal of affirmative action programs?
36. Why is the Supreme Court case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
significant?
a. According to the Supreme Court, what was the problem with UC-Davis’ affirmative
action program?
b. According to the Supreme Court, could UC-Davis continue its affirmative action
program?
37. Explain the arguments made by opponents of affirmative action:
38. Why is the Supreme Court case Grutter v. Bollinger significant?
39. Why is the Supreme Court case Gratz v. Bollinger significant?
a. What were the differences between these two cases involving the University of
Michigan?
40. Why is the Supreme Court case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School
District No. 1 significant?
41. Answer questions 1-9 on pages 178-179 without using the book or your notes.
1. __________
4. __________
7. __________
2. __________
5. __________
8. __________
3. __________
6. __________
9. __________
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