Supreme Court and Civil Rights

Why was Homer Plessy arrested?

• He was clearly of mixed heritage.
• He refused to give his seat to a white person.
• He sat down in a train’s whites-only car.

Chief Justice Earl Warren stated, “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” What did the use of “inherently” imply about segregation?

• By its very definition, it cannot be equal.
• It is an integral part of American society.
• Based on its meaning, separation is a natural inclination.

Why did the Supreme Court expand the incorporation of the Bill of Rights?

• to ensure they always had the last word
• to ensure equal treatment for all citizens
• to ensure all naturalized people could be citizens

What factor do Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education have in common?

• The cases went to the Supreme Court for ruling.
• The cases ruled in favor of the individual.
• The cases took place in the twentieth century.

n 1868, what was the most important reason to include the equal protection clause in the Fourteenth Amendment?

• Women’s rights activists wanted equal protection.
• African Americans were not protected under the law.
• Southern whites were not protected under the law.

Read the excerpt from the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall [take away] the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. This Fourteenth Amendment clause is about

• equal protection under the law.
• the right of citizenship.
• due process under the law.

Which amendment resulted in the incorporation of the Bill of Rights?

• the Fifth Amendment
• the Fifteenth Amendment
• the Fourteenth Amendment

How did the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson affect the legalities of segregation?

• It set “separate but equal” as a legal precedent.
• It implemented desegregation legislation.
• It determined that separation based on race can never be equal.

Which accurately describes what Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education had in common?

• Both cases involved striking down state segregation laws.
• Both cases involved affirmative action.
• Both cases involved interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

How did the verdict in Brown v. Board of Education relate to the verdict in Plessy v. Ferguson?

• It set a new legal precedent on the issue of segregation.
• It cemented the idea that separate was not synonymous to segregation.
• It proved educational facilities were subject to partial segregation.