14th amendment
What is the 14th Amendment, and what does it say?
granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people
What year was the Civil Rights Act passed?
1964
In what year did the Supreme Court decide the case Lau v. Nichols?
1974
The students argued their rights were violated under both the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Which law did the Supreme Court use to make its ruling?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
What major U.S. event happened just before the 14th Amendment was passed?
The Civil War
What specific type of laws, mostly in the South, did the Civil Rights Act help to end?
Jim Crow laws / Segregation laws
Which U.S. city's school district was sued in this case?
San Francisco
What problem did the Chinese-American students have in school?
They could not understand English and didn't get special help to learn it.
What specific group of people was the 14th Amendment primarily intended to protect?
Newly freed enslaved people/African Americans
The Act outlawed discrimination in the workplace based on several factors. Name two of them.
Race, color, religion, gender, or national origin
The students who sued did not speak English and were of what national origin?
Chinese (or Chinese American)
Were the students given the exact same textbooks and teachers as everyone else?
Yes, but they couldn't read the books or understand the teachers.
Which clause in the 14th Amendment ensures that everyone is treated the same by the law?
The Equal Protection Clause
What important law, passed a year after the Civil Rights Act, focused specifically on ensuring fair access to voting?
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
True or False: The school district argued that giving all students the same facilities and teachers meant everyone was getting an equal education.
True
Did the students win the case?
Yes, they won unanimously
What does "equal protection under the laws" mean
government must treat all people the same way under the same laws, no matter their background.
True or False: The Civil Rights Act allowed for public places like hotels and restaurants to still be segregated.
False
What was the Supreme Court's decision? Did they side with the students or the school district?
They sided with the students
What is the main message of the Lau v. Nichols case for schools today?
Every student has a right to understand what is being taught in school, no matter what language they speak at home.