Civil Rights

• Various groups have lobbied for increased civil rights for decades:– Racial minorities– Women– Homosexuals– Religious minorities

Civil Rights: Race Discrimination (1898-1954)

• Plessey v. Ferguson

• Truman Executive Order

• Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott

• CORE, NAACP

• Freedom Rides

• Brown v. Board

Civil Rights: Race Discrimination (1954-1965)

• Eisenhower and National Guard

• Wallace and Univ. of Alabama

• Kennedy Speech

• King – Mountaintop Speech

• Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Voting Rights Act of 1965– Jim Crow laws

Civil Rights: Race Discrimination(1966-Present)

• De Facto vs. De Jure Segregation

• Affirmative Action

• Reparations movement

Discrimination: Sexual Orientation

• Public opinion has shown increased support for equal rights for homosexuals

• Recent events:– “Don’t ask, Don’t tell!”– In Defense of Marriage Act– Push for acceptance of gay marriage

• Massachusetts is in the news right now for its pending legislation

– Push from Christian Right for federal ban of gay marriage