unit 9: 1960s: vietnam war & civil rights (1960-1969)

KEY TERMS:

Civil rights - full social, economic and political rights which are afforded to citizens of the United States and legally supported by the Constitution. 

Civil Rights Act of 1964 - made racial, religious, & sex discrimination by employers illegal & gave the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights & the desegregation of all public places.

Minority - refers to a group of people whose practices, race, religion, ethnicity, or other characteristics are less numbers than the main groups of those classifications.

Due process - fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement.

Nonviolent protest- practice of achieving goals/ social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation while being nonviolent.

Political Organizations - group that involves itself in political process, including political parties,  advocacy & special interest groups. Examples: LULAC, La Raza Unida, AIM, NAACP, SNCC, SCLC, & CORE

Desegregation - process of ending the separation of two groups, usually two races of people.

Discrimination - unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

Status quo/Established System - existing state, the way things are, the norm. Example: segregation in the South was the norm

Poll Taxes - A requirement that citizens pay a fee in order to register to vote. Used to disenfranchise African-American, Asian-American, Native American, & poor white voters until the 24th Amendment 1964

Literacy Tests - A test that forced potential voters to prove their ability to read & write in order to register to vote. Because they were given at the discretion of registration officials, they were used to disenfranchise African American voters until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965

Segregation - enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.

voter registration - process whereby citizens register with election officials to become eligible to vote.

voter turnout - percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot (vote) in an election. 

Litigation - process of resolving disputes by filing or answering a complaint through the public court system. 

Sit-ins - nonviolent protests in which a person sits and refuses to leave a segregated area until either served or arrested.

Freedom Rider - African American & white college students (usually from northern states) rode buses through southern states to challenge segregation laws on interstate transportation.

Freedom Summer - In 1964, when blacks & whites together challenged segregation & led a massive drive to register blacks to vote.

Affirmative Action - a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities

Suffrage - right to vote

Lobbying - seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.

Protest - statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.

Civil disobedience - refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.

24th amendment - banned poll taxes for voting requirement. *historically used to keep African Americans from voting*

Rock and Roll - a form of popular music; contributed to a cultural divide between generations.

“Separate but equal” - doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson that justified legal segregation (Jim Crow Laws)