Protection of Minority Rights (Standard 15)

"We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment."

• -Brown v. Board of Education

• This quotation illustrates the Supreme Court's power to

• uphold previous decisions

• overrule discriminatory state laws

• check the powers of the executive branch

• provide for educational funding for minorities

Match the action to the branch that took it.

• Congressional Legislation

• African-American students were denied admission

  to an all-white public school which was nearer to

  I their homes.

• U.S. Supreme Court Decision

• African Americans, wishing to rent or purchase

  homes in some areas, were discriminated against

  and prevented from moving into those areas,

• Presidential Executive Order

• African-American students were denied admission to Little Rock High School, and were being threatened by an angry mob.

The integration of Little Rock High School, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Fair

Housing Act of 1968 were all attempts by the federal government to

• eliminate educational restrictions on minority groups

• end discrimination against minority groups

• provide federal aid for poverty-stricken children

• require equal pay for African-American men and women

Which conclusion is best supported by this newspaper headline?

Cleveland Plain Dealer

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER

SENDS TROOPS TO LITTLE ROCK

• The framers of the Constitution sought to compromise on certain issues.

• States with large minority populations are helped by Congressional acts.

• The President often uses power to reduce the importance of the courts.

• The executive branch has at times acted to protect the rights of minorities.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Sending U.S. Soldiers to Little Rock High School

Decision in Brown v. Board ofEducation of Topeka

These are all examples of the use of...

• federal intervention to protect minority rights

• the amendment process to protect women's rights

• Presidential authority in issuing executive orders

• limitations on the use of federal power

What was the result of the executive order issued by President Johnson dealing with

affirmative action?

• defined equal rights for the disabled in the United States

• limited rights for African Americans in the armed forces

• increased individual rights for African Americans

• expanded rights for Southern segregationists

"Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary

for the Executive Branch of the Federal Government to use its powers and authority

to uphold Federal Courts, the President's responsibility is inescapable.

In accordance with that responsibility, I have today issued an Executive Order

directing the use of troops under Federal authority to aid in the execution of Federal law at Little Rock, Arkansas."

—President Dwight D. Eisenhower, September 1957

The situation described in this statement by President Eisenhower grew out of efforts to

• uphold the Voting Rights Act

• pass a constitutional amendment ending poll taxes

• enforce the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

• expand gender equality in public school sports programs

Which justification was used by the U.S. Supreme Court in its ruling in the Brown v.

Board of Education of Topeka case?

• separation of powers

• popular sovereignty

• equal protection of the law

• separation of church and state

What does the expression "due process of law" refer to?

• the right of the U.S. Supreme Court to declare laws to be unconstitutional

• the power of the police to arrest individuals they deem to be suspicious

• protections provided to citizens against unfair governmental actions

• bills which have been passed by Congress and signed by the President

What was the primary goal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

• to provide economic assistance to minority communities

• to eliminate barriers to voting for African Americans

• to establish a quota system for minority representation

• to promote bilingual education in public schools