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4.5 Race and Rights in Contemporary US Politics - Coggle Diagram
4.5 Race and Rights in Contemporary US Politics
Legacy of Slavery & the Civil War
Before American Civil War (1861-65), US comprised of slave states
and
free states
Following the victory of the Union over the Confederacy, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the US
A period known as '
Reconstruction
' - Republicans (left-wing) tried to ensure the rights of newly freed people
^ Key aspects:
• 14th amendment (citizenship and equal protection under the law)
• 15th amendment (voting rights - preventing exclusion based on race)
1877:
• Reconstruction ended
• South was given a freehand to impose Jim Crow Laws and segregation
Supreme Court upheld the idea of segregation in 1896 with Plessy v Ferguson
Racial Rights Campaigns
Civil Rights Movement (1950s & 60s)
1954 - Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
1955 - Montgomery Bus Boycott (MLK)
1957 - Troops sent to support students in Little Rock
1961 - Freedom Riders and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
1963 - March for jobs and freedom
1964 - Passing of the Civil Rights Act and 24th amendment (right of citizens of the US to vote in any primary or other election for President or VP)
1965 - Voting Rights Act passed
Black Lives Matter
Movement began in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman - a neighbourhood watch volunteer who pursued and shot an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin
BLM has led protests against the treatment of minority groups by authorities (inc. police, criminal justice system)
Has focused on protests surrounding statues that commemorate the Confederacy, which fought to maintain slavery in the Civil War
Voting Rights
15TH AMENDMENT (1870)
Right to vote could not be removed due to race or 'previous servitude'
HOWEVER: Southern states, in particular, found ways to stop or suppress the Black vote for the next 100 years
VOTING RIGHTS ACT (1965)
Followed the Civil Rights Act 1964
Had:
• General provisions to protect voting rights across the US
• Special provisions targeting Southern states (inc. requirements to get federal approval of changes to voting laws)
Seen as a great success as the Black vote increased greatly
= 2008 election of Obama was seen as proof of a long-term positive change
2006 - Act was reauthorised for another 25 years by George W. Bush
Shelby County v Holder (2013):
• Seen to remove protection of minority rights
• Has led to a series of laws in Southern states
that would have been blocked by Section 4 of
the Act
VOTING RIGHTS (2020)
BLM, NAACP and grassroots organisations = put huge efforts into getting Black and Hispanic votes out in 2020
Faced obstacles in many places
Minority areas were less well-represented in terms of polling stations and having access to voting
Affirmative Action
First established by President Kennedy's executive order in 1961
Aim of affirmative action:
• To redress the inequalities in society
• To bring diversity to schools, universities and firms
LIKE: the desire to have a Congress or Cabinet that 'looks like' modern America
Idea is controversial with ardent supporters and detractors
Similar ideas exist in the UK in schemes:
• Aimed to improve the chances of getting into university
• Reducing the cost of university for students who would be the first in their family to go to uni or those who come from low income households
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE AA?
• It
is
constitutional, but only if done in adherence to rules laid out by the Court
• Justice Roberts remarked that only an end to racial discrimination will end racial discrimination, NOT laws or affirmative action
Debates over AA largely split over party lines
The Case
FOR
and
AGAINST
AA
FOR
Rights the wrongs of disadvantage and prejudice
Increased diversity in institutions, such as top universities
Promoted equality of opportunity and outcome
AGAINST
Like racism it seeks to remove, it makes decisions based on race
Has created resentment in the white community, increasing racial tension
Lowers aspirations when offers, etc. are lowered
Affirmative Action & the Supreme Court
University of California v Bakke (1978):
• Ruled that racial quotas (affirmative action) were unconstitutional, where race was the only factor used
Gratz v Bollinger (2003):
• Further clarified the need for an individualised approach
2007 - Parents Involved in Community Schools Inc v Seattle School District AND Meredith v Jefferson County Board of Education (Kentucky):
• Deemed the use of racial quotas in schools unconstitutional
1st case:
• Seattle Schools Board was using racial quotas to prevent the create of white and black schools (that would have been the case based on housing patterns)