What are Civil Rights

The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protected the rights of African-Americans. How did these amendments affect the civil rights struggle?

• Jim Crow laws undermined the power of the amendments.

• African-Americans achieved equal rights with white males

• These amendments also protected the equal rights of women and right to vote

• The amendments gave Native Americans a way to become citizens.

Which sentence from the Newsela article, What are Civil Rights, is MOST important to include in its summary?

• In 1776, the Declaration of Independence stated that the United States was its own country and no longer under British rule.

• In 1776, the Declaration of Independence stated that the United States was its own country and no longer under British rule.

• They built many of the railroads that connected the East Coast to the West Coast.

• These and other laws undermined the changes to the Constitution that granted equal rights for citizens.

What is the main goal of the civil rights struggle today?

• to end segregation between blacks and whites

• to make the Constitution more fair for women

• to allow all races to become U.S. citizens

• to get equal treatment for all groups of people

How has the fight for civil rights changed over time?

• It began as a fight for the equal treatment of all races, then expanded to include women, disabled people and other groups.

• It began as a fight to end segregation, then changed direction to focus on gaining citizenship for all people.

• It began as a fight to allow all citizens to own property, then eventually turned into a fight for voting and political rights.

• It began as a fight for African-American rights, then continued as a fight for the rights of Chinese and Mexican-Americans.

How did laws in the 1880s affect discriminated groups?

• The Declaration of Independence explained the rights of all Americans, and the Constitution formalized segregation of Native Americans

• The Chinese Exclusion Act would not allow Chinese people to become Americans, and Jim Crow laws separated black and white Americans.

• The Naturalization Act allowed only white people to become U.S. citizens, and the Dred Scott decision took away rights for African-Americans.

• A treaty promised Mexicans in the United States rights as citizens, and a law allowed Native Americans to become American citizens.

The Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal.” Based on the article, how does the Declaration of Independence affect people in the United States?

• It gives grants rights only to certain people.

• It establishes rights for all people, but not all people get these rights.

• It gives the government power and limits the rights of citizens.

• It allows for improving civil rights through a process of change.

According to the article, what is the role of the Constitution in the United States?

• It protects the human rights of all people who travel to the U.S.

• It prevents changes to the law to better protect equal rights.

• It creates a government where civil rights struggles cannot achieve success

• It provides a foundation in American law to support struggles for equal civil rights.

What is the connection between the Dred Scott decision and the Chinese Exclusion Act?

• Both recognized that people have certain basic human rights.

• Both established protections against taking away rights from certain groups.

• Both did not allow groups of people to become citizens due to racism.

• Both required immigrants to wait two years before applying for citizenship.

Changes to the U.S. Constitution in the late 1800s allowed many of these people to become citizens. Native Americans, though, were not allowed to become citizens until (a)   .

The civil rights struggle was about equal treatment for all (a)   . Now, it is about equal treatment for all groups.