Civil Rights Movements in the United States

The Constitution does not provide for first and second class citizens. In United States history, which is an example of the idea of this quotation in action?

• Black Codes were enacted in the post-Civil War period.

• States passed laws establishing the poll tax.

• The United States Government moved Native American Indians to reservations during the 19th century.

• The Brown v. Board of Education decision struck down legal school segregation.

We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. ... We will not hate you, but we cannot obey your unjust laws. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This quotation most strongly advocates

• segregation

• anarchy

• prohibition

• civil disobedience

The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Public response to this decision demonstrates that

• rights protected by the Bill of Rights are interpreted as absolute rights

• society is often slow to change as a result of Supreme Court decisions

• most African Americans believe that the Court should have followed the precedents established in prior decisions

• the Supreme Court has become the least influential branch of government

...there are two types of laws: There are just laws and there are unjust laws. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. -Martin Luther King, Jr. This statement is a justification of the concept of

• cultural pluralism

• ethnic assimilation

• reverse discrimination

• civil disobedience

Which conclusion about the civil rights movement of the 1960's is most valid?

• Groups in the movement had common goals but different methods for attaining them.

• Civil disobedience failed to bring about any legislative changes.

• The movement began with violent protests but ended with peaceful demonstrations.

• The movement failed to inspire other groups to work for change.

Base your answer to the following question on the chart below and on your knowledge of social studies.

The changes shown in the chart were most directly the result of the

• enactment of voting-reform laws by these southern states

• Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education

• passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

• executive branch's resistance to protecting the civil rights of minorities

One reason the United Farm Workers had difficulty gaining national recognition for their union was that

• there were relatively few agricultural workers in California.

• most agricultural workers were already members of other labor organizations.

• there was no prior federal protection of agricultural workers.

• wages for agricultural workers in California were already high.

Use the table to answer the question: What was most likely the long-term impact of the trend in the table showing the change in the estimated percentages of African Americans registered to vote as a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

• African Americans became the largest voting bloc in the South.

• The number of African Americans joining the Democratic Party decreased in the South.

• The number of African Americans holding public office increased in the South.

• African Americans shifted their interest away from national politics to state politics in the South.

Which of these statements describes both the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

• Suffrage cannot be denied on the basis of race.

• Anyone born in the United States is a citizen.

• Congress has the power to collect taxes.

• Slavery cannot exist in the United States.

The list identifies several issues associated with the Civil Rights Movement: Jim Crow Laws, Literacy Tests, Plessy v. Ferguson. Why were these issues important motivations for civil rights reformers?

• They were evidence that individual rights were not upheld.

• They furthered the demand for constitutional amendments.

• They were evidence that states' rights were not respected.

• They furthered the interest in financial reparations.