Chapter 5: Civil Rights

the use of programs and policies designed to assist groups that have historically been subject to discrimination

laws passed immediately after the Civil War that discriminated against freed slaves and other blacks and deprived them of their rights

a provision of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires the states to treat all residents equally under the law

the standard used by the courts to decide cases of discrimination based on gender and sex; burden of proof is on the government to demonstrate an important governmental interest is at stake in treating men differently from women

the standard used by the courts to decide most forms of discrimination; the burden of proof is on those challenging the law or action to demonstrate there is no good reason for treating them differently from other citizens

the standard used by the courts to decide cases of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion; burden of proof is on the government to demonstrate a compelling governmental interest is at stake and no alternative means are available to accomplish its goals

the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Plessy v. Ferguson and declared segregation and “separate but equal” to be unconstitutional in public education

an action taken in violation of the letter of the law to demonstrate that the law is unjust

segregation that results from the private choices of individuals

segregation that results from government discrimination

civil rights campaigns that directly confronted segregationist practices through public demonstrations

the revocation of someone’s right to vote

the provision in some southern states that allowed illiterate whites to vote because their ancestors had been able to vote before the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified

state and local laws that promoted racial segregation and undermined black voting rights in the south after Reconstruction

tests that required the prospective voter in some states to be able to read a passage of text and answer questions about it; often used as a way to disenfranchise racial or ethnic minorities

the 1896 Supreme Court ruling that allowed “separate but equal” racial segregation under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

annual tax imposed by some states before a person was allowed to vote

the period from 1865 to 1877 during which the governments of Confederate states were reorganized prior to being readmitted to the Union

tests requiring prospective voters in some states to be able to explain the meaning of a passage of text or to answer questions related to citizenship; often used as a way to disenfranchise black voters

a primary election in which only whites are allowed to vote

a doctrine calling for the same pay for workers whose jobs require the same level of education, responsibility, training, or working conditions

a legal status of married women in which their separate legal identities were erased

the proposed amendment to the Constitution that would have prohibited all discrimination based on sex

an invisible barrier caused by discrimination that prevents women from rising to the highest levels of an organization—including corporations, governments, academic institutions, and religious organizations