Chapter 4: The Constitution & the Individual: The Bill of Rights, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights

• Does the Bill of Rights put limits only on the national government or does it limit state governments as well?
• How and when did the Supreme Court nationalize the Bill of Rights?
• What is the likelihood that the current Supreme Court will try to reverse the nationalization of the Bill of Rights?

• What is the legal basis for civil rights?
• How has the equal protection clause been enforced historically?
• What groups were spurred by the provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—that outlawed discrimination in employment practices based on race, religion, and gender—to seek broader protection under the law?
• How does affirmative action contribute to the polarization of the politics of civil rights?