Equality before the Law

Equal Protection Clause 5th amendment 14th amendment “ No state shall deny any person equal protection under the law.”

Reasonable classifications Government may not discriminate unreasonably.

Segregation in America Jim Crow laws- separation of races in both public and private facilities

Plessy v Ferguson 1896 Supreme Court Case upheld Separate but equal.

Brown v Board of Ed 1954 Supreme Court case that overturned Plessey Segregation of races in public schools unconstitutional.

De Jure, De facto segregation De Jure- segregation by law De facto- segregation by fact Mildred and Richard Loving, who challenged Virginia's miscegenation law.

Courts prohibit discrimination based on gender. Sharron Frontiero, who won a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force, with her husband Joseph.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 1. no denial of public accommodations 2. prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, color, religion or gender. 3. forbid employers to discriminate

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 Open housing act- no discrimination in renting or selling

Affirmative Action The government takes positive steps to end the affects of past discrimination.

The Bakke Case This case illustrates the concept of reverse discrimination