POLITICS & THE LAW exam #3 -- The Legislative Branch (open book/notes)
NAME: _____________________________________
DIRECTIONS: For each of the following analysis questions, write one to two paragraphs in your journal explaining your conclusions.
1. The state of Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy--who was seven-eighths Caucasian--took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was arrested. Mr. Plessy argued that the 14th Amendment made Louisiana's law unconstitutional. How did 8 of the 9 U.S. Supreme Court Justices reach the conclusion that the law did not violate the 14th Amendment? Explain in detail their conclusions, using your own words.
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2. Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. In Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that these laws violated the 14th Amendment. Technically this decision did not reverse Plessy v. Ferguson. Explain the basis of the BROWN decision and how it was reached. Again, use your own words.
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3. Brown v. Board of Education II (1955), decided in the year following BROWN I, fundamentally impacted federalism by arguably forcing the hand of both Congress and the President. How? -- Use the Emmett Till trial and aftermath (1955); Rosa Parks (1955) and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Browder v. Gale (1956); the Voting Rights of 1957 and the "Little Rock Nine" crisis (1957); and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cooper v. Aaron (1958) as part of your answer.
DIRECTIONS: For each of the following analysis questions, write one to two paragraphs in your journal explaining your conclusions.
1. The state of Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy--who was seven-eighths Caucasian--took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was arrested. Mr. Plessy argued that the 14th Amendment made Louisiana's law unconstitutional. How did 8 of the 9 U.S. Supreme Court Justices reach the conclusion that the law did not violate the 14th Amendment? Explain in detail their conclusions, using your own words.
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2. Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. In Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that these laws violated the 14th Amendment. Technically this decision did not reverse Plessy v. Ferguson. Explain the basis of the BROWN decision and how it was reached. Again, use your own words.
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3. Brown v. Board of Education II (1955), decided in the year following BROWN I, fundamentally impacted federalism by arguably forcing the hand of both Congress and the President. How? -- Use the Emmett Till trial and aftermath (1955); Rosa Parks (1955) and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Browder v. Gale (1956); the Voting Rights of 1957 and the "Little Rock Nine" crisis (1957); and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cooper v. Aaron (1958) as part of your answer.