Civil Rights Cases

Civil Rights Legislation

(Laws) & Court Cases

What is the Supreme Court?

• Highest court in our nation• Decides cases having to do with the Constitution

& Federal Laws• Can decide whether a law is Constitutional.

o Laws or actions declared Unconstitutional CAN NOT be enforced.

“Jim Crow” or Segregation laws

oRegulated African Americans to separate facilities

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

• Homer Plessy, who was born a free man and was one-eighth of African descent

• Louisiana law, Plessy was classified as black and therefore was required to travel in the “colored” railroad car.

• Plessy purchased a first class ticked and boarded the “whites only”

• Issue: Plessy was asked to relocate to the “colored” car and refused, he was arrested

• Decision: the Supreme Court said states could order racial segregation if the facilities provided for each race were equal.

• Created the “separate but equal” policy.

• The Plessy decision created the way for legal segregation in the United States

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Mendez v. Westminster ISD (1947)

• In the California , Mendez family lived where there was only one other Mexican-American family. Neighbors were all white, and all children attended Westminster Main School.

• Issue: Told to attend the Hoover School, in a different school district, and all of the students there were Mexican or Mexican-American

• Only law in California was “segregation of Chinese or Japanese children”.

Mendez v. Westminster ISD (1947)

• Decision: Declared segregated schools by race in California illegal without state law.

Delgado v. Bastrop I.S.D. (1948)

• State of Texas had decided that segregation of Mexican-American students was illegal.

• Issue: State of Texas sued Bastrop ISD, claiming segregation of Mexican-American children without a state law.

• Decision: Segregation of Mexican-American children in Texas was illegal.

Sweatt v. Painter (1950)

• Issue: Herman Sweatt, an African American, who wanted to attend the Law School at UT-Austino A separate law school was created for Blacks

• Decision: Supreme Court ruled that the separate school WAS NOT “separate but equal”.

• Sweatt was allowed to attend with White students

Brown v. Board of Education• Issue: Linda Brown was denied admission to a

whites only school that was only 6 blocks from her home. She had to be bused miles away to the all black school.

• Decision: Supreme Court declared “Separate but equal, was UNEQUAL” Ended segregation in public schools, whites and blacks can attend together.

• Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson case.

Hernandez v. Texas (1954)

• Pete Hernandez, was drinking with a friend at a bar in a small town in Texas.o He got kicked out and shot a man

and was charged with murder.• Issue: Hernandez was convicted of

murder by an all white jury.• Decision: Juries needed to be

diverse and that Mexican Americans were entitled as a class to protection under the 14th Amendment.

White v. Regester (1973)

• Issue: State of Texas was accused of drawing voting boundaries to hurt Mexican American and African American candidates and voters.

• Decision: Texas could not draw congressional districts that would discriminate against certain voters

Edgewood I.S.D. v. Kirby (1984)

• Issue/Decision: Lawsuit in Texas that resulted in a more equal school finance system (i.e. Highland Park students should have similar funding as a small 1A school)

March on Washington 1963

1963 March on Washington

• 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to bring attention to the civil rights issue.

• King gave his famous “I have a dream” speech.

• Pressure was now on President Kennedy and Congress to pass a new Civil Rights Act.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

• LBJ become President after Kennedy is assassinated.

• Congress and the President, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

• The act allowed the federal government to sue school boards that refused to integrate and mandated the end of segregation in public facilities.

Civil Rights Act Clip• How did LBJ continue Kennedy’s legacy when he

became President due to his assassination?

• What did LBJ have to fight against to get the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed?

The Right to Vote• Methods to prevent voting for African-Americans

in the South.o Poll Taxes: small taxes charged on the right to

voteo White Primary: Only whites were allowed to

vote in the party primaries.o Grandfather clause-only vote if your

Grandfather did. o Literacy tests

The Right to Vote!• Alabama had three-member group review literacy

test —in secret. • Voted on whether or not you passed. • Up to the judgment of the Board whether you

passed or failed. o White and missed every single question they

could still pass you if — in their sole judgment — you were "qualified."

o Black and got every one correct, they could still flunk you if they considered you "unqualified."

24th Amendment• 24th Amendment is passed. Eliminated Poll Tax.• African Americans no longer had to pay to vote.

Voter Registration Drives

• Selma March – 600 people marched in March 1965 and were attacked with clubs and tear gas by Alabama state troopers.

• Voting Rights Act Video-Start @ 7:17 mark. Stop @ 10:10

• How did President LBJ show support to the Civil Rights movement?

Voting Rights Act of 1965

• Under immense pressure, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

• This act abolished the literacy test and had federal officials oversee elections in cities that were known for discriminating against blacks.

April 1968

• Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. His death sparked violence in 125 cities.