Module 5: Civil Rights

Image Attribution: Modification of “Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. – Voting Rights Act” by Yoichi Okamoto/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

The struggles of citizens who happen to be members of "identifiable groups " for equal treatment and inclusion denied them by government and society based ascribed traits is the central concern of civil rights.  Despite the flowering words of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution about freedom and equality, this country began with many citizens being treated differently based on status, race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability.

The fight for civil rights encompasses changes in laws and governmental actions such that groups of Americans excluded from certain rights and privileges can obtain the same rights and privileges as all other Americans. In this module, we will examine the struggles of African-Americans, women, Hispanics and Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, the LGBTQ community, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities to combat discrimination, unequal treatment and sometimes hate that has been an essential feature of the growth and progress of American Democracy.

1. Explain the differences between having civil rights in law and in practice,known as "de jure," but not in fact, also known as "de facto," related segregation and inequality of opportunity and outcomes. (CLO 3, 4, 5)
   
2. Describe the roles and contributions racial and non-racial groups made through citizen action and activism to ensure that civil rights are protected from the past to the present. (CLO 3, 4, 5)
   
3. Explain the major laws and governmental actions leading to the expansion of rights and privileges for major groups. (CLO 3, 4)
   
4. Describe the roles of the major executive, legislative, and judicial institutions in advancing and impeding the expansions of rights and privileges of discriminated groups. (CLO 1, 3, 4)
   

1. Read Chapter 5 in Introduction to American Government. Including:

Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities