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Lesson 19: How does the Constitution protect your right to equal protection of the laws?
Lesson Purpose
In this lesson, you will learn about the right of all people to be treated equally by government. You will learn the meaning of the term equal protection of the laws. The equal protection clause is one part of the Fourteenth Amendment. This clause has been used to prevent states from being unfair to citizens because of their race or gender.
Lesson Objectives
When you have finished this lesson, you should be able to
- explain the meaning of equal protection of the laws and
- describe some important steps in history that were taken to prevent state governments from being unfair to people.
Lesson Terms
boycott
An act of protest, such as when people get together as a group and refuse to buy from or deal with a store or company.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil War Amendments
equal protection clause
equal protection of the laws
segregate
Voting Rights Act
Lesson Biographies
Marshall, Thurgood (1908-1993 CE)
Justice of the Supreme Court, appointed in 1967 by President Johnson. Great-grandson of slaves, he became involved in the civil rights movement. As counsel for the NAACP, he successfully pleaded the case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. First African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Parks, Rosa (1913-2005 CE)
Evers, Medgar (1925-1963 CE)
King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968 CE)
