Name: ______Date: ______

Civil Rights Scavenger Hunt: A History of Ensuring Equal Protection and Preventing Discrimination

Directions: Each topic (or question) below is hyperlinked to take you to a site where you will discover how the US government has handled the issue of civil rights. Much of the AP Content Review questions are geared towards the “Civil Rights Movements” of the 1950s & 1960s—this is because the topic often appears on the AP exam (i.e. 2008), this does not mean that other groups of people are less important or that their fight for civil rights has not been as difficult.

In this activity, you will discover how different groups of people have seen de jure racism disappear (in many cases), while de facto discrimination endures for many demographic groups.

I. Women’s Rights:

A. The Early Movement:

1. What role did the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) play in the fight for women’s rights?

2. Describe the purpose of the 19th Amendment.

B. The Modern Movement:

1. What is the goal of the group, National Organization for Women (NOW)?

2. What was the purpose of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment? Why did the amendment not get ratified?

3. What is Title IX? How did this law change female equality in public schools?

4. What does the term “glass ceiling” mean? How does the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Law (2009) promote equality in the workplace?

II. Senior Citizen/Disabled Persons Rights:

1. Describe the population growth trends of older Americans [65 years and older].

2. Explain the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967.

3. What is the purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)? What does the phrase “undue hardship” mean?

4. What protections are in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

III. Juvenile Rights:

1. What is the purpose of the 26th Amendment?

2. Define “zero-tolerance policy”.

3. How did each of these Supreme Court cases affect the rights of students?

A. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969):

B. New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985):

C. Morse v. Frederick (2007):

D. Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding (2009)

IV. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Rights:

1. How did each of the following Supreme Court cases expand/limit the rights of the LGBT community?

A. Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000):

B. Lawrence v. Texas (2003):

2. Explain how the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy worked before it was abolished.

3. How could President Obama’s repeal of DADT potentially help or hurt his 2012 reelection bid?

4. Gay Marriage & Civil Unions:

A. How is marriage different from a civil union? List some of the federal benefits of being married compared to being in a civil union.

B. How does the Defense of Marriage Act OF 1996 (DOMA) accommodate the different views by different states on the status of gay marriage and civil unions? Do you think DOMA is constitutional?

C. What is California’s Proposition 8 and why is it so controversial? Describe the February 2012 Court of Appeals ruling on Proposition 8.

D. Make a list of some states that allow gay marriage; a list that allows civil unions; a list that bans gay marriage.

States that Allow Gay Marriage / States that Allow Civil Unions / States that Ban Gay Marriage

E. Make a list including some of the countries that allow gay marriage; a list that allows civil unions; a list that bans gay marriage.

Countries that Allow Gay Marriage / Countries that Allow Civil Unions / Countries that Ban Gay Marriage

IV. Immigration Rights:

1. Describe in a few statements how immigration is connected to US history.

2. Describe the precedent created by Plyler v Doe (1982).

3. List the major provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

4. What message is the author making in this cartoon?

5. The Dream Act:

A. List the key provisions of the Dream Act.

B. Summarize the qualifications one would need to have in order to apply to receive the benefits of the Dream Act.

C. Identify some of the arguments against ratifying the Dream Act.

D. Explain why the Dream Act did not become law in late 2010.

6. Arizona Law SB1070:

A. List the major provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 law.

B. Why is Arizona’s SB 1070 legislation so controversial (need headphones)?

C. Describe how SB1070 illustrates a federalism conflict

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