Description
Directions:
Read the Prep Readings 1, 2, 3 below. These should take you a total of approximately 20-45 minutes, depending on how fast you read. Then write a few sentences about one thing you learned from the prep readings, one thing that made the most impact on you, or describe one person or event you want to learn more about. There is not a right or wrong answer for this assignment; you just need to show that you read/watched the prep readings/video and reflected on them.
Prep Reading 1 on contemporary terms for race: Please read through this note on some terms used for racial descriptions during the Civil Rights era; both of these terms are now considered offensive. ( 2 minute read) :
A note on terms describing race from the Civil Rights Movement era (definitions from Merriam-Webster)
Colored — adjective
[meaning] 3
old-fashioned + sometimes offensive
a : of a race other than white
especially : 1black 2
a colored man/woman/child
colored people/folks
b : of or relating to people who are not white
The town she grew up in had a colored church and a white church. [=a church attended by black
people and a church attended by white people]
Negro — noun
[count] old-fashioned + sometimes offensive
: a person who has dark skin and who belongs to a race of people who are originally from Africa
— Negro adjective, sometimes offensive
Please note: At the times the documents we are reading were written, these terms were often
used by White and Black Americans to refer to the groups of people we would now call ‘African-
American’ or ‘Black Americans’ (“negro” or “colored”) or ‘Persons of Color’ (“colored”) and not
usually considered offensive at the time; using the terms ‘colored’ or ‘Negro’ today to refer to
people is considered offensive (in the U.S.). The ‘N-word’ was considered an offensive term at
that time, as it still is today, to the point where, as your instructor, I don’t feel comfortable saying
the word in class or writing it in our materials. You will also encounter more openly racist
language when you look at materials from the Civil Rights era, alongside covertly racist
language (which we will try to analyze in class).
Prep Reading 2 on the Civil Rights era timeline of events: a) Please look at the timeline below to see some necessary context about the history of the Civil Rights Movement; look for the Dred Scott decision (Supreme Court case), Brown vs. Board of Education (Supreme Court case), Montgomery bus boycotts, Civil Rights Act (law), assasination of President John F. Kennedy, date for Dr. King winning the Nobel Peace Prize:
FindLaw’s Civil Rights Timeline: (see PDF attached)
Prep Reading 3 = (Video) on the Bloody Sunday protest :
If you have not seen news footage of the Civil Rights era, here is one clip to start with. Please be aware, there is some graphic violence in parts of the video; also, the quality is not high resolution (it’s a video of a newsreel from 1965). You can read about the incident at the History Channel link below if you prefer not to view the video. This footage is from what later became known as “Bloody Sunday” , when peaceful protesters were attacked by law enforcement. Bloody Sunday happened in 1965; the Letter from the Clergymen and Letter From Birmingham Jail were written in 1963, but this footage gives you an idea of what civil rights protesters were frequently confronted with–news footage ( 9 minute video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cNnG8xfy20Links to an external site.
If you want to dig further into the events of Bloody Sunday, you can start here (if you Google the phrase, try “Bloody Sunday 1965”, because an unrelated protest movement in Northern Ireland also has a day that is known as “Bloody Sunday”): http://www.history.com/news/sLinks to an external site.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
#1 Free Legal Website
FindLaw.com is the leading and largest online resource for legal information. For basic legal issues
to more complex ones, you’ll find thousands of helpful articles, a legal community to get answers to
your specific questions, an attorney directory, blogs, news, DIY forms, and much more.
Civil Rights: Timeline of Events
1857
1863
1865
1868
1870
1893
1896
1909
1920
1942
1954
1955
Dred Scott v. Sanford (Denial of Basic Rights to Blacks)
A major precursor to the Civil War, this controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision denied citizenship and basic
rights to all blacks — whether slave or free.
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation,” takes effect, proclaiming freedom from slavery for
African-Americans.
13th Amendment Passes
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, abolishing slavery in the United States.
14th Amendment Passes
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, guaranteeing due process and equal protection rights
to all citizens.
15th Amendment Passes
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, guaranteeing the right to vote for all U.S. citizens.
Colorado Becomes First State to Grant Women the Right to Vote
Plessy v. Ferguson (Approval of “Separate but Equal” Facilities)
The U.S. Supreme Court “separate but equal” decision in Plessy v. Ferguson approved laws requiring racial
segregation, as long as those laws did not allow for separate accommodations and facilities for blacks that were
inferior to those for whites.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Founded
19th Amendment Passes
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, granting women the right to vote.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Founded
Roosevelt Issues Order Relocating Japanese-Americans
On February 19, 1942 (shortly after the U.S. entered World War II) President F.D. Roosevelt issued an executive order designating much of the west coast a “military area”, and requiring relocation of most JapaneseAmericans from certain west coast states. Many of the more than 100,000 persons who were relocated were
forced to live in “interment” or “relocation” camps.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (De-Segregation in Education)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ended legal racial segregation in public schools.
Montgomery Bus Boycotts
African-American woman Rosa Parks’s arrest after her refusal to move to the back of a bus (as required under
city law in Montgomer y, Alabama) triggers a citywide boycott of the bus system.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka II, Kansas (De-Segregation in Education)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas II implements the antisegregation provisions that had been mandated in Brown I, and orders that states comply with “all deliberate
speed.”
1960
1962
1963
1964
1965
Greensboro, NC Lunch Counter Sit-Ins
In protest of local restaurants that refuse to serve African-American customers, a series of sit-ins is staged at
lunch counters in Greensboro, Nor th Carolina.
Bailey v. Patterson (De-Segregation in Transpor tation)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bailey v. Patterson declares that segregation in transpor tation facilities is
unconstitutional.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I Have a Dream”
Rev. Dr. Mar tin Luther King, Jr. delivers the historic “I Have a Dream” speech in front of hundreds of thousands
of participants in the “March on Washington.”
Equal Pay Act
Passing Congress in 1963, the Equal Pay Act is a federal law requiring that employers pay all employees
equally for equal work, regardless of whether the employees are male or female.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes Congress, prohibiting discrimination in a number of settings: Title I prohibits discrimination in voting; Title II: public accommodations; Title III: Public Facilities; Title IV: Public Education; Title VI: Federally-Assisted Programs; Title VII: Employment. The Act also establishes the federal Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Signed into law in 1965, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the denial or restriction of the right to vote, and
forbids discriminator y voting practices nationwide.
Malcolm X Assassinated in New York City
1967
1968
1971
1978
1990
1993
2003
Watts Riots in Los Angeles
Beginning as a community-wide reaction to the arrest of three African-Americans in central Los Angeles, the
Watts Riots continue for six days, and are viewed by some as purposeless criminal behavior. Others viewed the
riots as a necessary uprising by African-Americans as a reaction to oppression, and consider the Watts Riots a
key precursor to the “Black Power” movement of the late 1960’s.
Loving v. Virginia (Inter-Racial Marriage)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia declares that laws prohibiting inter-racial marriage are
unconstitutional.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated in Memphis
Equal Rights Amendment Passes in Congress
The proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was intended to explicitly guarantee equality to
all persons, regardless of gender. After passing in Congress, the amendment did not receive enough votes for
ratification by the individual states, and was never signed into law.
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (Affirmative Action)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke holds that college admission standards giving preferential consideration to minority applicants are constitutional.
Pregnancy Discrimination Act Signed
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employment discrimination against female workers who are
(or intend to become) pregnant — including discrimination in hiring, failure to promote, and wrongful termination.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Signed into law in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects persons with disabilities from discrimination in many aspects of life, including employment, education, and access to public accommodations.
Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), passed in 1993, gives employees the right to take time off from
work in order to care for a newborn (or recently adopted) child, or to look after an ill family member.
Lawrencev. Texas (Rights of Same-Sex Couples)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas declares unconstitutional a Texas statute that criminalizes same-sex sexual activity.
The FindLaw Guide to Online Fraud and Identity Theft
FINDLAW.COM
EMPOWERS
PEOPLE WITH TRUSTED,
TIMELY AND INTELLIGENT
LEGAL INFORMATION
BLOGS – FindLaw Blogs present timely news that has
real-life implications, deliver important information
and discuss law-related entertainment.
FINDLAW ANSWERS – A vibrant, interactive online
community where everyday people can ask legal
questions and get real-time answers from legal
professionals and others with similar experiences.
NEWS & NEWSLETTERS – Updated throughout the
day and night and covering a wide range of legal
topics, FindLaw.com’s News page presents current
legal news, keeping people informed and educated.
FIND A LAWYER – An easy-to-search database
of more than one million lawyers and law firms. It
provides detailed information, enabling people to
contact a qualified lawyer when they are ready.
DO-IT-YOURSELF FORMS & CONTRACTS – FindLaw.
com provides accurate legal documents for common
legal matters. Choose from a library of easy-to-use,
low-cost, accurate legal forms for everyday legal issues.
FINDLAW VIDEO – On FindLaw.com, you’ll find an
online directory of more than 1,500 short videos
dedicated exclusively to legal topics and attorney and
law firm profiles.
Connect With Us
FindLaw.com has an entire social media team
dedicated to providing our users with as many
options as possible to join, participate in, and learn
from the FindLaw community. Some of the social
key channels are the following:
•
FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook
Making the law easy to access with interactive
legal updates aimed at starting conversations,
informing followers of their legal rights and
providing a forum for questions and resources
•
HAVE A LEGAL QUESTION?
NEED TO FIND AN AFFORDABLE,
QUALIFIED ATTORNEY?
Protect yourself, your family or
your business with a legal plan
or form from LegalStreet
@FindLawConsumer on Twitter
Tweeting interesting, entertaining and
informative legal news everyday
Copyright © 2013 FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business. All rights reserved. The information
contained in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
The use and distribution of this article is subject to the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license, which
Learn More: Tips to Help Protect Your Identity, Protect
Find a Consumer Protection
can be viewed at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.
You must
attribute
articleFraud,
by Stolen Identity:
Yourself
from
Online the
Auction
Attorney Near You
to Do work. You may not
providing the title of the article, FindLaw copyright notice and link toWhat
the original
Follow us on
use the article for commercial purposes and you may not alter or transform this article in any way.
A Thomson Reuters Business
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
