Chapter 9

1)
A citizen group could respond to Malcom X’s concerns by organizing marches, letter writing
campaigns, sit-ins, and boycotts to push for change without violence.

The violence that Malcom X recommends could inadvertently lower the stature of these
peaceful protests and give law enforcement ammunition to limit these other actions.

Malcom X’s approach shows the shortcomings of the legal system when political behavior is
limited, so the rule of law must be disobeyed. He sees that he has no way to speak his mind
within the rule of law, so the only way for him to engage politically is to go around the law.

2)
In the graph, we see the numbers of women elected to the House of Representatives, the
Senate, and the Congress as a whole from 1917 to 2015.

The number of women in each category has generally risen since 1917, especially with large
leaps in the 1990’s. Much of this growth can likely be linked to progress in employment and
access to the polls along with waves of feminism (such as that of the 1990’s.)

The graph shows the 19th Amendment’s impact as women gained the right to vote and began to
use it. With this right, female candidates steadily gained traction and won campaigns as they
used their vote and joined the conversation. As is previously mentioned, these gains also
coincide with women joining the workforce as they see the need to voice their opinions and be
represented in Congress. With the 19th Amendment, they are guaranteed this form of
expression.

3)
The Constitutional provision common to both Brown v. Board of Education and Fisher v.
University of Texas II is the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause which grants all people
equal protection under the law.

With this provision, the facts in Brown differ from Fisher because of the idea of discrimination.
The decision in Brown v. Board of Education was based on the fact that Black students were
being disadvantaged by a government-run institution based on their race. In Fisher, the Court
made its ruling because the school was not using race as the only factor.

The decision Fisher does not support the idea of a colorblind Constitution given that the Court
upheld a guideline predicated on race and the ways in which it differed from Brown, which
focused on a Black student instead of a White one.

4) Is citizen engagement in civil rights a worthwhile effort?

 Chapter 9

Although some may argue that it is a waste of time, citizen engagement in civil rights is a
worthwhile effort as they are necessary to affect change.

The 14th Amendment was written after the Civil War to establish equal rights for the
newly freed black men and women, but it’s only been implemented time after time because of
citizen action. Most Constitutional rights- freedom of speech, protection from unjust search and
seizure, ownership of firearms- have been incorporated to the states because of lawsuits from
citizens. Furthermore, politicians and leaders only change their viewpoint as the result of
enormous social pressure.

A man who masterfully applied this pressure was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He knew the
importance of his and other citizens’ actions in securing civil rights. As he wrote in his “Letter
from a Birmingham Jail,” he realizes the importance that comes from citizen actions in civil
disobedience that stem from the acts of self-purification and negotiation; he sees the need for
people to create discomfort for those who like the status quo; and he points out that leaders
are often too content not to take action. As such, he calls for citizens to engage in the securing
of civil rights as a means to upset the system and establish a need for action from above.

Others may point to wins such as same-sex marriage and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
to say that there is no longer a need for citizen engagement in civil rights. However, recent
actions continue to prove the need for engagement. In state legislatures across the country,
bills are being introduced to limit access to the polls in Black and Brown communities, limit the
opportunity to vote early and by mail, and to disadvantage minority communities in accessing
the polls in general. As such, scrutiny from people around the nation has put pressure on
companies to call this out and to enforce change through economic boycotts and similar
actions. This is merely one example of how recent activity has been impacted through citizen
engagement, and it clearly underscores the worth of such action.