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CHAPTER SIX Study Chapter Summary ·
Throughout U.S. history, various groups,
because of some characteristic beyond their control, have been denied their
civil rights and have fought for equal treatment under the law. All three branches
of the government have played an important role in providing remedies for the
denial of equal rights. ·
Groups that are discriminated against may
seek procedural remedies, such as changing the law to guarantee equality of opportunity, or substantive
remedies, such as the institution of affirmative action programs, to guarantee equality of outcome. ·
African Americans have experienced both de jure discrimination, created by laws
that treat people differently, and de
facto discrimination, which occurs when societal tradition and habit lead
to social segregation. ·
African Americans led the first civil rights
movement in the United States. By forming interest groups such as the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and developing
strategies such as nonviolent resistance, African Americans eventually defeated
de jure discrimination. ·
De facto discrimination persists in America,
signified by the education and wage gap between African Americans and whites.
Programs like affirmative action, which could remedy such discrimination,
remain controversial. Although African Americans have made great strides in the
last fifty years, much inequality remains. ·
Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asian
Americans have also fought to gain economic and social equality. Congressional
control over their lands has led Native Americans to assert economic power
through the development of casinos. Using boycotts and voter education drives,
Hispanics have worked to stem the success of English-only movements and
anti-immigration efforts. Despite their smaller numbers, Asian Americans also
aim for equal political clout, but it is through a cultural emphasis on
scholarly achievement that they have gained considerable economic power. ·
Women's rights movements represented
challenges to power, to a traditional way of life, and to economic profit.
Early activists found success through state politics because they were
restricted from using the courts and Congress; efforts now focus on the courts
to give women greater protection of the law. ·
Gays, youth, the elderly, and the disabled
enjoy the most fundamental civil rights, but they still face de jure and de
facto discrimination. While moral concerns motivate laws against gays, social
order and cost-efficiency concerns mark the restrictions against youth, the
elderly, and disabled Americans. Learning Objectives After
reading this chapter, you should understand ·
the meaning of political inequality ·
the struggle of African Americans to claim
rights denied to them because of race ·
the struggle of Native Americans, Hispanics,
and Asian Americans to claim rights denied to them because of race or ethnicity ·
women's battle for rights denied to them on
the basis of gender ·
the fight by other groups in society to
claim rights denied to them on a variety of bases ·
the relationship of citizens to civil rights |
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