supporting standards comprise 65% of the u. s. history test 9 (f)

Supporting standards comprise 65% of the U. S. History Test

9 (F)

Supporting Standard (9)The student understands the impact of the

American civil rights movement.

The Student is expected to:(F) Describe presidential actions &

congressional votes to address minority rights in the U. S., including desegregation of the

armed forces, the Civil Rights acts of 1957 & 1964, & the Voting Rights Act of 1965



The Student is expected to:(F) 1 Describe presidential actions &

congressional votes to address minority rights in the U. S., including desegregation

of the armed forces

Executive Order 9981

Executive Order 9981 is

an order issued on July 26, 1948

by President Truman. It abolished racial discrimination in the U. S. Armed

Forces and eventually led to the end

of segregation in the services.

In 1947, A. Philip Randolph, along with colleague Grant Reynolds, renewed efforts to end discrimination in

the armed services, forming the Committee Against Jim Crow in Military Service and Training, later renamed the

League for Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Against Military Segregation.

Truman’s Order expanded on Executive Order 8802 by

establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services for people of all

races, religions, or national origins.

The Order’s operative statement is:

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and

opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national

origin. This policy shall be put into effect as rapidly as possible, having due regard to the time required to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing

efficiency or morale.

The order also established a committee to investigate and make recommendations to the civilian leadership of the

military to implement the policy.

The order eliminated Montford Point as a segregated Marine boot camp. It became a satellite facility of Camp Lejeune. The last of the all-black unites in the U. S. military was abolished in September 1954.



The Student is expected to:(F) 2 Describe presidential actions & congressional

votes to address minority rights in the U. S., including the Civil Rights Act of 1957

Civil Rights Act of 1957

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 enacted September 9, 1957, primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation passed by Congress in the U. S. since Reconstruc-tion following the American Civil War.

Civil Rights Act of 1957The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was also Congress’s show of support for the Supreme

Court’s Brown decisions. The Brown v. Board of Education (1954) eventually led to the integration of public schools. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Southern whites in

Virginia began a “Massive Resistance.” Violence against blacks rose there and in other states, as in Little Rock, Ar., where that year President Eisenhower had ordered in federal troops to

protect nine children integrating a public school, the first time the federal government had sent troops to the South since Reconstruction. There had been continued physical assaults

against suspected activists and bombings of schools and churches in the South. The administration of Eisenhower proposed legislation to protect the right to vote by African

Americans.

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was also Congress’s show of support for the Supreme Court’s Brown decisions. The Brown v. Board of Education (1954) eventually led to the integration of public schools. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Southern whites in

Virginia began a “Massive Resistance.” Violence against blacks rose there and in other states, as in Little Rock, Ar., where that year President Eisenhower had ordered in federal troops to

protect nine children integrating a public school, the first time the federal government had sent troops to the South since Reconstruction. There had been continued physical assaults

against suspected activists and bombings of schools and churches in the South. The administration of Eisenhower proposed legislation to protect the right to vote by African

Americans.

Democratic Senator Strom Thurmond of S. C., an ardent segregationist, sustained the longest one-person filibuster in history in an attempt to keep the bill from becoming law. His one-

man filibuster lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes; he began with readings of every state’s election laws election laws in alphabetical

order. Thurmond later read from the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and George Washington’s Farewell Address. His

speech set the record for a Senate filibuster.

The bill passed the House with a vote of 285 to 126 (Republicans 167-19 for, Democrats

118-107 for) and the Senate 72 to 18 (Republicans 43-0 for, Democrats 29-18 for).

Democratic Senator Strom Thurmond of S. C., an ardent segregationist, sustained the longest one-person filibuster in history in an attempt to keep the bill from becoming law. His one-man filibuster lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes; he

began with readings of every state’s election laws election laws in alphabetical order. Thurmond later read from the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and George Washington’s Farewell Address. His speech set the

record for a Senate filibuster.

The goal of the 1957 Civil Rights Act was to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote. By 1957, only about 20% of African Americans were registered to vote. Despite comprising the majority

population in numerous counties and Congressional districts in the South, discriminatory voter registration rules and laws had

effectively disenfranchised most blacks in those states since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Civil rights organizations had collected evidence

of discriminatory practices, such as administration of literacy and comprehension tests, poll taxes and other means. While the states had the

right to establish rules for voter registration and elections, the federal government found an oversight role in ensuring that citizens could exercise

the constitutional right to vote for federal officers, such as the president, vice president, and Congress.

Although passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 seemed to indicate a growing federal commitment to the cause of civil rights, the legislation was

limited. Because of the ways in which it had been changed, the government had difficulty enforcing it. By 1960, black voting had

increased 3%.Passage of the bill showed the willingness of national leaders to support, to varying degrees, the cause of civil rights.

The goal of the 1957 Civil Rights Act was to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote. By 1957, only about 20% of African Americans were registered to vote. Despite comprising the majority population in numerous counties and Congressional districts in the South,

discriminatory voter registration rules and laws had effectively disenfranchised most blacks in those states since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Civil rights organizations had collected evidence of discriminatory practices, such as administration of literacy and comprehension tests, poll taxes and

other means. While the states had the right to establish rules for voter registration and elections, the federal government found an oversight role in ensuring that citizens could exercise the constitutional right to vote for federal officers, such as the president, vice president, and Congress.

Although passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 seemed to indicate a growing federal commitment to the cause of civil rights, the legislation was

limited. Because of the ways in which it had been changed, the government had difficulty enforcing it. By 1960, black voting had

increased 3%.Passage of the bill showed the willingness of national leaders to support, to varying degrees, the cause of civil rights.

At the time, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was 28 years old and a developing leader in the civil rights movement; he spoke out against white supremacists. Segregationists had

burned African-American churches, centers of education and organizing related to voter registration, and physically

attacked African Americans, including women, who were activists. King sent a telegram to President Eisenhower to

make a speech to the South, asking him to use “the weight of your great office to point out to the people of the South the

moral nature of the problem.” Eisenhower responded, “I don’t know what another speech would do about the thing right

now.”Disappointed, King sent another telegram to the President, stating that Eisenhower’s comments were “a profound disappointment to

the millions of Americans of goodwill, north and south, who earnestly are looking to you for leadership and guidance in this

period of inevitable social change.”

At the time, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was 28 years old and a developing leader in the civil rights movement; he spoke out against white supremacists. Segregationists had burned African-American churches, centers of education and organizing related to voter

registration, and physically attacked African Americans, including women, who were activists. King sent a telegram to President Eisenhower to make a speech to the South, asking him to use “the weight of your great office to point out to the people of the South the

moral nature of the problem.” Eisenhower responded, “I don’t know what another speech would do about the thing right now.”

Disappointed, King sent another telegram to the President, stating that Eisenhower’s comments were “a profound disappointment to

the millions of Americans of goodwill, north and south, who earnestly are looking to you for leadership and guidance in this

period of inevitable social change.”




congressional votes to address minority rights in the U. S., including the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The BackgroundPresident Kennedy called for a new bill in his televised civil rights

speech of June 11, 1963, in which he asked for legislation “giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public—hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments,” as well as “greater protection for the right to vote.” Kennedy delivered

this speech following a series of protests from the African-American community, most notably the Birmingham Campaign, which concluded in

May 1963.

In the summer of 1963, various parts of the civil rights movement collaborated to run voter education and voter registration drives in

Mississippi. During Freedom Summer in 1964, hundreds of students from the North went there to participate in voter drives and community

organizing. The media coverage and violent backlash, with the murders of three civil rights workers near Philadelphia, Ms., contributed to national

support for civil rights legislation.

President Kennedy called for a new bill in his televised civil rights speech of June 11, 1963, in which he asked for legislation “giving all

Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public—hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments,” as well as “greater protection for the right to vote.” Kennedy delivered

this speech following a series of protests from the African-American community, most notably the Birmingham Campaign, which concluded in

May 1963.

In the summer of 1963, various parts of the civil rights movement collaborated to run voter education and voter registration drives in

Mississippi. During Freedom Summer in 1964, hundreds of students from the North went there to participate in voter drives and community

organizing. The media coverage and violent backlash, with the murders of three civil rights workers near Philadelphia, Ms., contributed to national

support for civil rights legislation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson helped secure passage of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964, making racial discrimination and segregation illegal, and the Voting Rights Act of

1965, which abolished the poll tax and other means of keeping blacks and poor people from registering to vote and voting, established record-keeping and oversight, and provided for federal enforcement in areas with documented patterns of discrimination.

The assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963 changed the political situation. Kennedy’s successor as president, Lyndon

Johnson, made use of his experience in legislative politics, along with the bully pulpit he wielded as president, in support of the bill. In his

first address to a joint session of Congress on November 27, 1963, Johnson told the legislators, “No memorial oration or eulogy could

more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so

long.”

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enacted July 2, 1964 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation in the U. S. that

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter

registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the

general public (known as “public accommodations”).

The assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963 changed the political situation. Kennedy’s successor as president, Lyndon Johnson, made use of his experience in legislative politics, along with the bully pulpit he wielded as president, in support of the bill. In his first

address to a joint session of Congress on November 27, 1963, Johnson told the legislators, “No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long.”

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enacted July 2, 1964 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation in the U. S. that

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter

registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the

general public (known as “public accommodations”).

When the bill came before the full Senate for debate on March 30, 1964, the “Southern Bloc” of 18 southern Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator led by Richard Russell (D-GA) launched a filibuster to prevent its passage. Said Russell: “We will resist to the

bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and

amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states.”

On the morning of June 10, 1964, Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) completed a filibustering address that he had begun 14 hours and 13 minutes earlier opposing the legislation. Until then, the measure had occupied the Senate for 57 working days, including six Saturdays. A day earlier, Democratic Whip Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the bill’s manager, concluded he had the 67 votes required at that time to end the debate and end the filibuster. With six wavering senators

providing a four-vote victory margin, the final tally stood at 71 to 29. Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill. And only once in the 37 years

since 1927 had it agreed to cloture for any measure.

When the bill came before the full Senate for debate on March 30, 1964, the “Southern Bloc” of 18 southern Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator led by Richard Russell (D-GA) launched a filibuster to prevent its

passage. Said Russell: “We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states.”

On the morning of June 10, 1964, Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) completed a filibustering address that he had begun 14 hours and 13 minutes earlier opposing the legislation. Until then, the measure had occupied the Senate for 57 working days, including six Saturdays. A day earlier, Democratic Whip Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, the bill’s manager, concluded he had the 67 votes required at that time to end the debate and end the filibuster. With six wavering senators

providing a four-vote victory margin, the final tally stood at 71 to 29. Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill. And only once in the 37 years

since 1927 had it agreed to cloture for any measure.

On June 19, the substitute (compromise) bill passed the Senate by a vote of 73–27, and quickly passed through the House-Senate conference committee, which adopted the Senate version of the bill. The conference bill was passed by both houses of Congress, and was signed into law by

President Johnson on July 2, 1964.

Powers given to enforce the act were initially weak, but were supplemented during later years. Congress asserted its authority to legislate under several different parts of the U. S. Constitution, principally its power to regulate

interstate commerce under Article One (section 8), its duty to guarantee all citizens equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment and its duty to protect voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment. The Act

was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964 at the White House.

On June 19, the substitute (compromise) bill passed the Senate by a vote of 73–27, and quickly passed through the House-Senate conference committee, which adopted the Senate version of the bill. The conference bill was

passed by both houses of Congress, and was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964.

Powers given to enforce the act were initially weak, but were supplemented during later years. Congress asserted its authority to legislate under several different parts of the U. S. Constitution, principally its power to regulate

interstate commerce under Article One (section 8), its duty to guarantee all citizens equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment and its duty to protect voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment. The Act

was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964 at the White House.

One of the most “damaging” arguments by the bill’s opponents was that once passed, the bill would require forced busing to achieve certain racial

quotas in schools.

One of the most “damaging” arguments by the bill’s opponents was that once passed, the bill would require forced busing to achieve certain racial

quotas in schools.




congressional votes to address minority rights in the U. S., including the Voting

Rights Act of 1965

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the U. S. that prohibits discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Johnson during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, and Congress later amended the Act five times

to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution, the Act allowed for a mass enfranchisement of racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U. S. Department of Justice the Act is widely considered to be one of the most effective pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted

in the United States.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the U. S. that prohibits discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Johnson during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, and Congress later amended the Act five times

to expand its protections. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution, the Act allowed for a mass enfranchisement of racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U. S. Department of Justice the Act is widely considered to be one of the most effective pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted

in the United States.

The Act establishes extensive federal oversight over elections. Echoing the language of the Fifteenth Amendment, Section 2 of the

Act prohibits any state or local government from imposing any “voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice,

or procedure . . . in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of” race or language minority status. In addition to this general prohibition, the Act specifically outlaws literacy tests and similar devices that were

historically used to disfranchise minorities.

BACKGROUND: Nineteenth-century Southern states generally sought to maintain the disenfranchisement of racial minorities during and after Reconstruction. From 1868 to 1888, electoral fraud and violence throughout the South suppressed the African American vote. From 1888

to 1908, Southern states legalized the disfranchisement of racial minorities by enacting Jim Crow laws; most Southern states amended their constitutions and passed legislation to impose literacy tests, poll taxes, property ownership requirements, “good character” tests, requirements that voter registration applicants “interpret” a particular document, and grandfather clauses that allowed otherwise disqualified voters to vote

if their grandfathers voted (excluding many African Americans whose grandfathers had been slaves).

The Act establishes extensive federal oversight over elections. Echoing the language of the Fifteenth Amendment, Section 2 of the Act prohibits any state or local government from imposing any “voting qualification or prerequisite to voting , or standard, practice, or

procedure . . . in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of” race or language minority status . In addition to this general prohibition, the Act specifically outlaws literacy tests and similar devices that were historically used to disfranchise

minorities.

BACKGROUND: Nineteenth-century Southern states generally sought to maintain the disenfranchisement of racial minorities during and after Reconstruction. From 1868 to 1888, electoral fraud and violence throughout the South suppressed the African American vote. From 1888

to 1908, Southern states legalized the disfranchisement of racial minorities by enacting Jim Crow laws; most Southern states amended their constitutions and passed legislation to impose literacy tests, poll taxes, property ownership requirements, “good character” tests, requirements that voter registration applicants “interpret” a particular document, and grandfather clauses that allowed otherwise disqualified voters to vote

if their grandfathers voted (excluding many African Americans whose grandfathers had been slaves).

Although the Civil Rights acts of 1957 & 1960 enhanced the ability of courts to remedy violations of federal voting rights, strict legal standards made it difficult for the Department of

Justice to successfully pursue litigation. For example, to succeed in a lawsuit against a state that maintained a literacy

test, the Department needed to prove that the denied voter registration applications of racial minorities were comparable

to the accepted voter registration applications of whites. To make this showing, the Department needed to research voter

registration applications in each of the state’s counties, comparing thousands of applications in a process that could

take thousands of hours to complete. The Department’s efforts were hampered by resistance from local election officials, who would disingenuously claim to misplace the voter registration records of racial minorities, remove racial minorities from the

voter rolls, and resign so that voter registration ceased.

Although the Civil Rights acts of 1957 & 1960 enhanced the ability of courts to remedy violations of federal voting rights, strict legal standards made it difficult for the Department of Justice to successfully pursue litigation. For example, to succeed in a lawsuit against a state that maintained a literacy test, the Department needed to

prove that the denied voter registration applications of racial minorities were comparable to the accepted voter registration applications of whites. To make this showing, the Department needed to research voter registration applications in each of the state’s counties, comparing thousands of applications in a process that could take thousands of hours to complete. The Department’s efforts were hampered by resistance from local election officials, who would disingenuously claim to misplace

the voter registration records of racial minorities, remove racial minorities from the voter rolls, and resign so that voter registration ceased.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 contains “special provisions” that apply only to certain jurisdictions, such as a requirement that

jurisdictions containing significant language minority populations provide bilingual ballots and other election materials. The

most litigated special provision is Section 5, which prohibits jurisdictions from implementing any change affecting voting without first obtaining approval from the U. S. Attorney General or a three-judge panel of the U. S. District Court for D. C., a process known as

“preclearance.”

Approval is given only if it is determined that the voting change does not have a racially discriminatory purpose or effect. Section 5 and

most other special provisions apply to jurisdictions encompassed by the Act’s “coverage formula,” which is prescribed in Section 4(b). The formula was designed to encompass jurisdictions that engaged in the most egregious voting discrimination in 1965, and Congress updated

the formula in 1970 and 1975.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 contains “special provisions” that apply only to certain jurisdictions, such as a requirement that jurisdictions containing significant language minority populations provide bilingual ballots and other election materials. The most litigated special provision

is Section 5, which prohibits jurisdictions from implementing any change affecting voting without first obtaining approval from the U. S. Attorney General or a three-judge panel of the U. S. District Court for D. C., a process known as “preclearance.”

However, in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the U. S. Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula as unconstitutional,

reasoning that it is no longer responsive to current conditions. The Court did not strike down Section 5, but without Section 4(b), no

jurisdiction will be subject to Section 5 preclearance unless Congress enacts a new coverage formula. During this period, the Supreme Court generally upheld state efforts to discriminate against racial

minorities.

In 1964, Congress responded to rampant discrimination against African Americans in public accommodations and government services by enacting the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act included some provisions that expanded voting rights, such as requiring registrars to equally administer literacy tests in writing to each voter, prohibiting registrars from rejecting voter registration applications due to small errors, and creating a

rebuttable presumption that persons who attained a sixth-grade education are sufficiently literate to vote.

In 1964, Congress responded to rampant discrimination against African Americans in public accommodations and government services by enacting the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act included some provisions that expanded voting rights, such as requiring registrars to equally administer literacy tests in writing to each voter, prohibiting registrars from rejecting voter registration applications due to small errors, and creating a

rebuttable presumption that persons who attained a sixth-grade education are sufficiently literate to vote.

After its enactment in 1965, the law had an immediate remedial effect on racial discrimination in voting. The suspension of literacy

tests and appointment of federal examiners and observers to covered jurisdictions allowed for high numbers of disfranchised racial

minorities to register to vote. Nearly 250,000 African Americans registered to vote in 1965, and one-third of them were registered by

federal examiners.

While Section 2 and Section 5 prohibit jurisdictions from gerrymandering electoral districts to dilute the votes of

protected minorities, the Supreme Court has held that in some instances, the Equal Protection Clause of the

Fourteenth Amendment prevents jurisdictions from drawing district lines to favor protected minorities.

After its enactment in 1965, the law had an immediate remedial effect on racial discrimination in voting. The suspension of literacy tests and appointment of federal examiners and observers to covered jurisdictions allowed for high numbers of

disfranchised racial minorities to register to vote. Nearly 250,000 African Americans registered to vote in 1965, and one-third of them were registered by federal examiners.

While Section 2 and Section 5 prohibit jurisdictions from gerrymandering electoral districts to dilute the votes of

protected minorities, the Supreme Court has held that in some instances, the Equal Protection Clause of the

Fourteenth Amendment prevents jurisdictions from drawing district lines to favor protected minorities.

supporting standards comprise 65% of the u. s. history test 9 (f)

Documents

civil rights acts

minority rights

american civil rights

voting rights act

nonviolent civil disobedience

armed forcesexecutive

onexecutive order

trumans order