AP GovernmentCivil Rights for Other Groups

(1) Native American Civil Rights • After Wounded Knee Massacre and

the Dawes Act Native Americans were pushed to assimilate

• In 1924 they were granted citizenship• Some civil rights groups turned

militant in the 1960s, and took over Alcatraz Island and the village of Wounded Knee

• Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 – tribes would have authority for how they administer federal funds, which gave them greater control over their welfare

• Special status allowed them to open casinos which brought needed money

(1) Civil Rights for Immigrant Groups• Immigration Act of 1924 set strict quotas for

admission of immigrants that particularly kept out immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America

• Quota system ended in 1965, but immigration still restricted and illegal immigrant numbers soared

• Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985 – required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status; made it illegal to hire illegal immigrants knowingly; and granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who had already lived in the US for 5 years

• Executive Order by Barack Obama in 2014 ended prosecution of illegal immigrants who have lived here for 5 years

(1) Civil Rights for Disabled Americans

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 – extends civil rights to people with physical and mental disabilities

• It guaranteed them access to employment, transportation, accommodations, etc.

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission still receives thousands of ADA-related complaints each year

(1) Civil Rights for Homosexual Americans• Gay rights movement began in 1967

after a police raid on a gay bar in NYC led to protests that clashed with police

• US Civil Service Commission allowed gay employees in gov’t positions in 1973

• “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy adopted by military under Pres. Clinton

• Massachusetts passed first gay marriage law in 2003

• Lawrence v. Texas (2003) – ruled that law against sodomy violated privacy right

• Boy Scouts v. Dale (2008) – allowed private groups to discriminate against gay people

(2) Protectionism for Women• Protectionism is the notion that

women must be protected from life’s cruelties

• It was the basis for civil rights laws and court decisions until the 1970s

• Muller v. Oregon (1908) – limited working hours for women, not men

• Women were to work when they were young and single, but stay at home when they were married and having children

(3) Women and Right to Vote• Failed attempt for suffrage

amendment in 1860s• Minor v. Happersett (1875) – ruled

the 14th Amendment did not give right to vote to all, and states didn’t have to allow women to vote

• U.S. v. Susan B. Anthony (1878) – same as previous decision, but for federal elections

• Many states beginning with Wyoming granted women the right to vote

• 19th Amendment – gave women the right to vote in 1920

(4 & 6) Equal Pay for Women

• The justification for paying women less was that they were not the principal wage earners in their families

• This led to belief that women had less need for higher education, and thus restricted them to lower level jobs

• Comparable worth – requires employers to pay comparable wages for different jobs filled predominantly by one gender in each if the jobs are considered to have similar value to the employer

• Equal Pay Act of 1963 – equal pay for men and women for similar work

• Still, pay for women lags behind men to this day

(5) Legislation for Women’s Rights • Civil Rights Act of 1964– originally didn’t include women

amongst those protected, but they were added in House debate

– prohibits employment discrimination

– EEOC given power to cover cases of sexism

• Title IX of Education Amendment of 1972 prohibited discrimination in federally aided education programs

• Revenue Act of 1972 provided tax credits for child care

(7) Integrating All-Male Institutions • Virginia Military Institute was

the last all-male government institution in the country

• Instead of admitting women it opened the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership

• U.S. v. Virginia (1996) – ruled that the women graduates had fewer opportunities and required VMI to admit women

(8) Equal Rights Amendment

• Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed in 1923, but didn’t pass through Congress until 1972

• “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the US or any state on account of sex”

• It was give until 1977 to get ¾ of states to approve, but even after an extension to 1982 it was 3 states short

• It failed for many reasons including:– strong state-based anti-ERA

campaigns (while ERA proponents mounted a national campaign)

– Vocal opposition by women who supported traditional roles

– Fickle support of state legislators

(8) Women Protected without ERA• National Organization for

Women formed and continues to help women

• Women’s issues received more attention due to ERA and subsequent laws helped women

• Women became more involved in politics

• Supreme Court rulings, Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Equal Pay Act protect women already (though can be taken away much easier than a national Constitutional amendment

(9) Affirmative Action• Affirmative action is a wide range of

programs from special recruitment efforts to numerical quotas, aimed at expanding opportunities for women and minority groups

• Led to reverse discrimination• University of California v. Bakke

(1978) – ruled that race could be a factor, but not be the sole factor for admitting students

• Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) – further clarified the extent that race can be a factor in admitting schools and argued that a racially diverse student body is beneficial to a college