Chapter 6 - Civil Rights #1

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights for all citizens, including blacks. It was ratified in 1868 and aimed to address the issues of racial inequality and discrimination following the Civil War. The amendment provides equal protection under the law and prohibits states from denying any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. It also grants citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the United States, regardless of race.

The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education stated that racially separate schools were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. This decision declared that laws creating schools that were separate but obviously unequal were unconstitutional. The ruling was a landmark decision in the civil rights movement and played a significant role in ending racial segregation in schools.

The correct answer is that the "right to privacy" is not mentioned in the Constitution. This means that there is no explicit mention of a right to privacy in the text of the Constitution. While some argue that it can be inferred from provisions in the Fourteenth Amendment, it is not explicitly stated. Additionally, it is not mentioned in the First and Fifth Amendments, nor in the Second Amendment or the Preamble of the Constitution.

In the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate-but-equal" facilities were constitutional. This ruling established the legal basis for racial segregation in the United States, allowing for the creation of separate facilities for different races as long as they were deemed equal in quality. This decision was later overturned by the Brown v. Board of Education case, which declared that separate facilities were inherently unequal and violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1920 and granted women the right to vote. Prior to this amendment, women were denied the right to vote solely based on their gender. The Nineteenth Amendment aimed to eliminate this discrimination and ensure that no state could deny women the right to vote on the basis of sex.

In the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court established that a woman has a constitutional right to privacy, which includes the right to make decisions about her own body, including the decision to have an abortion. This decision legalized abortion in the United States and set the standard for evaluating laws that restrict access to abortion. It has been highly influential in shaping reproductive rights and has been both praised and criticized for its impact on the ongoing debate over abortion.

The correct answer is that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in a territory and that a slave was considered a piece of property. In the Dred Scott Case, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in the territories, as it violated the property rights of slave owners protected by the Fifth Amendment. The Court also declared that slaves were not citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court. This decision further deepened the divide between the North and the South over the issue of slavery, ultimately leading to the American Civil War.

The correct answer is the Democratic landslide of 1964. This event refers to the overwhelming victory of Democratic candidates, particularly President Lyndon B. Johnson, in the 1964 general elections. This election result helped break the deadlock in the civil rights movement by providing a mandate for Johnson's Great Society programs, which included significant civil rights legislation. The Democratic landslide of 1964 demonstrated widespread public support for civil rights and gave Johnson the political capital needed to push for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

De facto segregation refers to segregation that occurs as a result of private choices made by individuals or groups, such as choosing to live in racially homogeneous neighborhoods or attend racially segregated schools. On the other hand, de jure segregation is segregation that is enforced by public laws and policies, such as the Jim Crow laws in the United States. Therefore, the correct answer states that de facto segregation results from private choices, while de jure segregation results from public law.

The Seneca Falls Convention was a pivotal event in the women's rights movement, held in 1848. It was the first women's rights convention in the United States and marked the beginning of organized efforts to advocate for women's suffrage and other rights. The convention produced the Declaration of Sentiments, which called for women's equality in various aspects of life. This event played a significant role in laying the foundation for the women's suffrage movement and the fight for gender equality.