Legal Classifications
What is a suspect classification?
A classification, like race, for which any discriminatory law must be justified by a compelling state interest.
Who was the organization that challenged racial segregation in schools leading to Brown v. Board of Education?
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
What were Jim Crow laws designed to do?
Circumvent the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to deny rights to Black Americans.
What amendment gave women the right to vote?
The Nineteenth Amendment.
What is affirmative action?
A policy of creating opportunities for groups as a remedy for past discrimination.
What standard does the court use for laws making a quasi-suspect classification?
The intermediate standard of review.
What was the purpose of poll taxes in the South?
To limit the voting rights of Black Americans and other marginalized groups.
What Supreme Court case established the "separate but equal" doctrine?
Plessy v. Ferguson.
What major goal of the women's rights movement was not achieved despite strong advocacy in the 1970s?
The ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Which administration was notably less supportive of affirmative action policies?
The Reagan administration.
What does the minimum rationality test assess?
Whether a law making a nonsuspect classification has a reasonable basis.
What is de jure discrimination?
Discrimination that arises from or is supported by law.
Name two methods used to disenfranchise Black voters besides poll taxes.
Literacy tests and grandfather clauses.
What is one area where women still face economic inequality?
Earnings, with women earning 81 cents to every dollar earned by men.
How does affirmative action address de facto discrimination?
By implementing policies like busing and desegregation to counteract social and economic inequalities.
In what year did the court rule that race is a suspect classification?
The 1950s.
What is the difference between de jure and de facto discrimination?
De jure discrimination is law-based, while de facto discrimination results from social customs or traditions.
What is the significance of Brown v. Board of Education?
It overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine and led to the desegregation of public schools.
Which campaign in 2018 significantly increased women's representation in U.S. politics?
The 2018 midterm elections, often referred to as the "Year of the Woman."
What is one reason affirmative action remains controversial today?
Some believe it leads to "reverse discrimination" against non-minority groups.
What is strict scrutiny?
A heightened standard of review used by the Supreme Court to assess the constitutionality of laws affecting suspect classifications.
Who were the abolitionists, and what was their goal?
A coalition of free Black individuals and Northern whites aiming to end slavery before the Civil War.
Define "institutionalized racism."
Power inequalities based on race that are ingrained within societal structures.
What kind of workplace discrimination do pregnant women still face?
Discrimination that can limit their career opportunities or lead to job loss.
How did the public’s view of affirmative action shift during the Reagan years?
There was an increase in public unease and resistance to affirmative action policies.