This chapter discusses the role of civil rights in the United States. The primary goals of the chapter are explaining the historical impact of oppression, analyzing the social injustices present in today’s society, explaining the processes used to change civil rights policies, and examining ongoing civil rights issues. The chapter defines civil rights as rights that guarantee individuals freedom from discrimination, either from the government or society. This is different than civil liberties, which are freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Slavery dominated the focus of civil rights from the early nineteenth century to the civil rights movement. It controlled the economy of the South prior to the Civil War. The Civil War marked the end of slavery and led to the addition …show more content…
During Reconstruction however, the South established Jim Crow Laws, which mandated segregation in public facilities. The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling (which stated that segregation was acceptable as long as it was “separate but equal”) caused a setback for civil rights as well, but the Brown v. Board of Education ruling abolished this policy. The civil rights movement in the mid-twentieth century ended public segregation in America. In the early twentieth century, the focus shifted towards women’s suffrage. Many women protested their inability to vote. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was added to the Constitution. This amendment led to women expanding into the fields of politics, science, and technology. Today, the focus of civil rights has shifted towards Native Americans, Latinos, and homosexuals. In 1924, Native Americans gained the right to vote. Latinos formed the United Farm Workers Union in the 1960’s. In 2015, homosexual marriage became legal in all fifty states. These reforms redefined the social structure of