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Internet Activities: Civil Rights
 
 
 

Just the Facts, Please

1. The Supreme Court of the 1980s and 1990s issued a number of rulings that affirmed the Roe v. Wade (http://members.aol.com/abtrbng/410us113.htm) decision of 1973. Identify those cases (using the following Web sites) and discuss the significance of each ruling as they relate to Roe v. Wade.

  1. National Organization of Women (NOW) (http://www.now.org)
  2. National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) (http://www.naral.org)
  3. Planned Parenthood (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/)
  4. Click here for a list of Supreme Court decisions pertaining to reproductive rights (http://www.naral.org/mediaresources/fact/decisions.html)

2. When the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) (http://www.now.org/issues/economic/eratext.html)failed in 1982, some claimed that the ERA was "dead in the water." Supporters now seem to have renewed their commitment to see it passed. What is the ERA, and what will it provide (according to its critics and supporters)? Access these Web sites for additional assistance in your research.

  1. National Organization of Women (NOW) (http://www.now.org)
  2. Eagle Forum (http://eagleforum.org)

3. What is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)(http://www.eeoc.gov/)? What are its goals? Identify and discuss EEOC laws regarding discrimination, privacy, affirmative action, equal pay, disabilities, and civil rights.

4. Access Gender Equity in Sports (http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/ge). Define and discuss the law known as Title IX.

  1. What does this law provide for, and what are the myths surrounding women in sports?
  2. What voluntary and legislative actions have been taken (nationally) to fulfill the requirements of Title IX?
  3. What actions has your college taken to fulfill Title IX?
  4. What changes in sports participation have occurred since the passage of Title IX?

5. The diversity of the American population enhances our culture, but at the same time it can lead to conflicts between different racial or ethnic groups. One of the problems faced on many university campuses is the "hate speech" that is exchanged between certain ethnic groups. Go to the Web site of the American Civil Liberties Union at http://www.aclu.org. On the right side you will find a list of issues. Select "Students’ Rights" and open
hate Speech on Campus."

  1. Describe the issues involved in campus hate speech.
  2. What is the ACLU’s position on these issues?
  3. How would the ACLU combat hate speech on campus?
  4. Does your institution have a policy on hate speech? Do you believe that the ACLU would support your campus’s policy?

6. Go to http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm and you will find the U.S Department of Justice’s website for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Read the materials and answer the following questions:

  • The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in four areas. List these areas.
  • Describe what areas are covered by each title of the act (I, II, and III).
  • Which Department has the authority to issue regulations for title II and III of the ADA?
  • Which Department has the authority to provide technical assistance and enforcement?
 
   
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Compare & Contrast

  1. Compare and contrast the following Web sites. What are the goals of these organizations? In what ways do they encourage their members to promote their cause(s)? In what ways do the NAACP, The King Center, and the Nation of Islam differ from one another? Contrast the Human Rights Center with the Log Cabin Republicans. Contrast NOW and NARAL with the Eagle Forum. Contrast AIM with BIA and the UFW with Latino Web.

    2. a. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (http://www.naacp.org)
    b. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (http://thekingcenter.com)
    c. Nation of Islam (http://http://www.noi.org)
    d. Human Rights Campaign (http://http://www.hrc.org)
    e. Log Cabin Republicans (http://http://www.lcr.org)
    f. National Organization of Women (NOW) (http://http://www.now.org)
    g. National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) (http://http://www.naral.org)
    h. Eagle Forum (http://eagleforum.org)
    i. American Indian Movement (AIM) (http://members.aol.com/nowacumig/aim.html)
    j. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) (http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html)
    k. United Farm Workers (UFW) (http://http://www.ufw.org)
    l. Latino Web (http://www.latinoweb.com/)

  2. The trend to overturn affirmative action has grown in popularity in recent years. The National Center for Public Policy Research (http://www.nationalcenter.org/AA.html) takes a position that is different from the American Civil Liberties Union (http://www.aclu.org/congress/affirmative.html). Which one supports the trend to do away with affirmative action and which one seeks to keep it on the law books? In what ways have California and Florida treated affirmative action? What are the pros and cons of California’s Proposition 209? Compare and contrast the rulings found in these cases:

    3. a. UC Board of Regents v. Bakke
    b. Adarand Construction v. Pena
    c. Plessy v. Ferguson
    d. Brown v. Board of Education

  
   
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    Exploration

1. A Visit to a Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee focuses on the civil rights struggle that took place in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. One of the features at its website is the opportunity to take an interactive tour of some of the exhibits at the museum.

Go to http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ and you will be at the main page of the National Civil Rights Museum. Scroll down and select the link to take an interactive tour of the museum.

Take the tour and answer the following questions:
  • What were the freedom rides? When did they begin?
  • Why did James Meredith’s 1961 application to the University of Mississippi cause a problem?
  • Who was Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor?
  • What is the Freedom Summer, and when did it occur?
  • What is the significance of the march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama in 1965?
  • Explain the significance of Rooms 306 and 307 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

2. The Nisei and the General

Go to http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8420/main.html to the Japanese American Internment website. This website is devoted to documenting the United States’ treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Scroll down and select the link to the "Timeline". Read the timeline and answer the following questions:

  • Why do you think the person who made this website included events from the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews? Are some of the parallels disturbing to you? Why or why not?
  • Describe Executive Order 9066. Which two organizations were the only ones to give significant opposition to the order?
  • Who was General DeWitt? Describe Public Proclamation No. 1.
  • What was the WRA, and who was its first director?
  • Who was Mitsuye Endo? What did the Supreme Court rule in the Endo case?

Go to the FindLaw website at http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html. FindLaw is a major legal website on the internet. It contains links to legal stories, has its own legal search engine, and has a searchable database of the Supreme Court decisions since 1906. Enter the name Korematsu into the Party Name Search box and click on the search button. Then select the link to the 1944 case of Toyosaburo Korematsu v. United States. Scroll down to the dissenting opinion of Mr. Justice Murphy. Read his dissenting opinion and answer the following questions:

  • What does Justice Murphy state is the judicial test of whether the Government can validly deprive an individual of any of his constitutional rights?
  • Justice Murphy believed that the evacuation order was simply a legalization of racism. Do you agree? Why or why not?


3. The Rights of Women and Students

Topics involving the civil rights of women and students can be found at the American Civil Liberties Union website. Go to http://www.aclu.org. Look at the page and go over to the right side where the "Issues" column is located. First, click on the square entitled "Students Rights." Later, do the same for "Women’s Rights." Because the legal status of rights is constantly evolving, this exercise is open-ended. Do the following:

  • Review the status of women’s rights in Congress, covering the "starred" points.
  • Then, summarize women’s rights issues involved in the "highlights" column.
  • Summarize the main points covered in "Special Features" vis-à-vis student rights.
  • Summarize stories posted regarding the rights of students as considered by Congress.
  • After reading all of this material, what is your reaction to any of the stories summarized?

If you wish to expand your research, go back to the main page and click on two other categories, such as "workplace rights" or "disability rights." Summarize and express your opinions regarding stories found in the features, highlights, or congressional categories.


4. The Rights and Status of Gay Males and Lesbians

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a national advocacy group that focuses on issues of importance to gay and lesbian Americans. Go to http://www.ngltf.org/ and select the link to "publications" in the right-hand column. At the publications page scroll down and select the link to the PDF version of "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Civil Rights Laws In the U.S." Scroll down through the document to Page 7 and answer the following questions:

  • Describe the "Further Amendment to Executive Order 11478." Who signed the order? What extra protection does it afford gay and lesbian Americans?
  • Discuss the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and what protections it gives to gay and lesbian Americans.
  • What does the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990 require the Justice Department to do?
  • Is there a federal domestic partnership benefits policy?

State laws that concern sexual orientation are listed beginning on page 10. Find your own state and summarize the laws listed.


5. Affirmative Action and the Piscataway case

Affirmative action has become a more contentious issue in recent years. The 1997 case of Piscataway Board of Education v. Taxman reflects this debate. In order to understand the case, go to http://www.auaa.org/timeline/1997.html and http://www.auaa.org/piscat/index.html, sites for the group "Americans United for Affirmative Action." These sites will take you to a chronology of events covering the 1997-2000 time frame and details on the 1997 case of Piscataway Board of Education v. Taxman. After finding the material and studying it, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/supcourt/1997-98/piscataway.htm. Now answer the following:

  • What disputes were at the heart of the case?
  • Why and how was the principle of affirmative action tested by the Piscataway case?
  • Who were Debra Williams and Sharon Taxman?
  • From which federal court was the case appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court?
  • Why did affirmative action opponents believe that this case would end affirmative action?

How was the case eventually resolved? What was the reaction to the resolution by the parties to the case?

  
       
   
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