Chapter
Sixteen: Equality and Civil Rights
Web Links
(page references
match the sixth edition)
p. 519 - Randy Pech carried the banner of equlity to the
Supreme Court. Pech felt aggrieved when he continued to
lose bids for highway guardrail contracts even when he
was the lowest bidder. Pech testified in 1997 in support
of new civil rights protections. The bill has not
progressed in the legislative process, but
Pech's
testimony addresses his
deeply felt concerns.
p. 526 - A timeline is a useful way to put information
into perspective. For a handy timeline of the civil
rights movement, click
here.
p. 530 - The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
are familiar to many readers. The Seattle Times has
assembled a compendium
of useful information on King's life, the movement he
launched, and his legacy.
p. 539 - The Seneca Falls women's rights convention
celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998. This convention
marked the opening round of the American woman's suffrage
movement. The National Archives Records Administration
has created a web site in commemoration
of this event using a
wide range of documents and photographs, including
materials on anti-suffragists and black suffragists.
p. 542 - United States v. Viriginia firmly established
the principle that government may not discriminate on the
basis of sex except in the most exceptional
circumstances. Prior to her appointment to the judiciary,
Ruth Bader Ginsburg had led the legal battle for gender
equality. In this case, Ginsburg addressed
the American public in a
resounding affirmation of gender equality. Be sure to
listen to Ginsburg's announcement of the Court
opinion.
p.544 - President Lyndon B. Johnson explained his vision
of equality in America at the Howard University
commencement on June 4, 1965. It was one of Johnson's
most memorable addresses. If you have install the Real
Player, you
can listen to the speech and read through the
text.
p. 545 - The Bakke case seemed an astute political
compromise to many observers. Justice Lewis Powell's vote
admitted Allan Bakke to medical school. And Powell's vote
also made the use of race a factor among many
factors in the admissions process to professional school
and higher education generally. The case stirred strong
emotions, as is evident from the detailed concurrences
and dissents delivered
from the bench.
p.548 - The Supreme Court put the brakes on affirmative
action policies that set aside special consideration for
designated minorities. Randy Pech's case, Adarand
Constructors v. Pena, is the brake-setter.
Listen
to the arguments and ask
yourself who made the better presentation, and why.
Web Links 
