Chapter Overview

The Struggle for Civil Rights

• What is the legal basis for civil rights?
• How has the equal protection clause historically been enforced?
• What is the critical Supreme Court ruling in the battle for equal protection?
• How has Congress tried to make equal protection a reality?
• In what areas did the civil rights legislation seek to provide equal access and protection?

The Universalization of Civil Rights

• What groups were spurred by the provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination in employment practices based on race, religion, and gender, to seek broader protection under the law?
• What is the politics of the universalization of civil rights?

Affirmative Action

• What is the basis for affirmative action? What forms does it take?
• How does affirmative action contribute to the polarization of the politics of civil rights?
• How does the debate over affirmative action reflect the debate over American political values?