How has the membership of the United States Supreme Court changed to become more diverse over time?

• How has the membership of the United States Supreme Court changed to become more diverse over time?

• The membership of the United States Supreme Court has included women and minorities, such as Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Clarence Thomas.

• The civil rights movement of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s provided a model that other groups have used to extend civil rights and promote equal justice.

Sandra Day O’Connor

• Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

• Appointed by Reagan, 1981• Served until 2005

Ruth Ginsberg

• Second female Supreme Court Justice, appointed by Clinton in 1993

Clarence Thomas

• Second African American to serve as Supreme Court Justice (Thurgood Marshall was the first)

• Nominated by George H.W. Bush

• How have the decisions of the United States Supreme Court promoted equality and extended civil liberties?

• The United States Supreme Court protects the individual rights enumerated in the Constitution of the United States.

• The United States Supreme Court identifies a constitutional basis for a right to privacy that is protected from government interference.

• The United States Supreme Court invalidates legislative acts and executive actions that the justices agree exceed the authority granted to government officials by the Constitution of the United States.

• What immigrant groups account for the bulk of immigration?

• What factors have drawn immigrants to the United States?

• Immigration to the United States has increased from many diverse countries, especially Asian and Latin American countries.

• Reasons for immigration– Political freedom– Economic opportunity

• What issues are currently being debated related to immigration to the United States?

• Issues related to immigration policy– Strain on government services– Filling low-paying jobs in the United States– Border issues– Pathway to citizenship– Bilingual education– Increasing cultural diversity

• What are some contributions made by immigrants?

• Contributions of immigrants– Diversity in music, the visual arts, and literature– Roles in the labor force– Achievements in science, engineering, and other

fields

• How has the accessibility to improved technology and communications affected American culture?

Space Program

• In the early 1960s, President Kennedy pledged increased support for the American space program.

• The race to the moon continued through the 1960s.• U.S. astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit

the Earth. • In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first person to step onto

the moon’s surface. – “That’s one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.”

• Sally Ride was the first female American astronaut.

Sally Ride

• Sally Ride was the first female astronaut in the United States.

• Joined NASA, 1978• Goes into space, 1983• Two Soviet women had done so

already (1982, 1963)• Rode the Challenger• Preparing for her third flight when

Challenger exploded 73 sec into flight (1986)

John Glenn

• USMC pilot, served WWII & Korean War• First American to orbit Earth; third American in

space• John Glenn became the first American to orbit the

Earth, aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, circling the globe three times during a flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds

• Retires, and becomes US Senator (Ohio) 1974-1999

Neil Armstrong

• In 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to step onto the moon’s surface

• “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Neil Armstrong

• Armstrong – Naval Officer, Korean War• Joined NASA, 1962• Apollo 11 – moon landing, 1969, Armstrong

and Buzz Aldrin • Died in August, 2012 at 82

• Examples of technological advances• Space exploration– Space shuttle– Mars rover– Voyager missions– Hubble telescope– Communications

Examples of technological advances

• Space Exploration– Space Shuttle – piloted directly

by humans, not machines– Used from 1981 to 2011,

135 missions– Only three shuttles exist (Discovery, Endeavor,

Atlantis; Challenger & Columbia both exploded)

Examples of technological advances

• Space Exploration– Mars Rover – robotic

device that can be placed on Mars to examine the surface/atmosphere

Examples of technological advances

• Space Exploration– Voyager Missions – two unmanned missions to

send satellites into space to study Jupiter & Saturn

– June 15 2012, Voyager 1 is close to leaving Solar System –furthest manmade object from Earth

Examples of technological advances

• Space Exploration– Hubble Telescope – carried into

orbit by Space Shuttle, 1990– 43 feet long! – Been in space for over 22 years

Examples of technological advances

• Communications– Satellite

• makes world “smaller” – you can know what’s going on in different parts of world instantly; world is more in touch with each other

– Global Positioning System (GPS)• Huge impact on travel; military; navigation

– Personal Communications Devices• Easier to communicate with people from far away in

many formats; makes world ‘smaller’• Can video chat from half a world away

• Robotics

• Changes in work, school, and health care in recent decades– Telecommuting– Online course work– Growth of service industries– Breakthroughs in medical research, including

improved medical diagnostic and imaging technologies

– Outsourcing and offshoring

Changes in work/school/health care

• Telecommuting – Do not commute to a central work place (work

from home via internet, online capabilities)– Becoming more and more common

• Distance learning– Learning from outside of a classroom (online

course work)• Growth of Service industries– People provide service, not a product

Changes in work/school/health care

• Breakthroughs in medical research, including the development of the vaccine for polio by Dr. Jonas Salk

• Until 1955, when the Salk vaccine was introduced, polio was considered the most frightening public health problem of the post-war United States.

• 1952- worst outbreak – 58,000 cases reported

• 3,145 people died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis, with most of its victims being children

• FDR – most well known victim of polio in the world