Complete revision notes for the Unit 4 side of the US Politics A Level course. These notes were created using multiple textbooks, websites, books, articles, journals and undergraduate essays. They contain content beyond the level required to achieve a top grade at A2 level politics, and include sub...
US Constitution & Federalism - Unit 4C Government & Politics
US Supreme Court - Unit 4C Government & Politics
All for this textbook (33)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
Government and Politics
Unit 3A GOV3A - The Politics of the USA
All documents for this subject (19)
8
reviews
By: annanya • 1 year ago
By: claudia_tanner • 5 year ago
By: hmills106 • 6 year ago
By: alexgisborne • 7 year ago
By: jackbergman707 • 7 year ago
By: hazelbloopley • 7 year ago
By: nicholasmitchell • 7 year ago
Show more reviews
Seller
Follow
maxcollingbourne
Reviews received
Content preview
Racial and ethnic politics
Past paper themes – 45 markers:
• Affirmative action – success/failure
• Has equality been achieved?
• Immigration reforms
Ethnic diversity and minority representation
• Since it’s creation, the US has become increasingly ethnically diverse, especially so in recent
years (1980-2010):
o White = 79.6% to 63.7%
o Hispanic = 6.4% to 16.3%
o Black = 11.5% to 12.6%
• The recent spike can be attributed to migrants searching for political freedom and economic
equality, plus a desire to experience the American experiment of democracy
• As of 2016:
o 62% white
o 12% black
o 18% Hispanic
The civil rights movement
Early developments:
• The ‘Reconstruction Amendments’ (13th, 14th and 15th) were passed in the hope of amending the
wrongs of slavery, but in reality little changed in practice for almost a century
• The 20th century saw a rise in ‘residential segregation’:
o The Great Depression caused black people to move increasingly to the big cities –
especially those in the northeast e.g. Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.
o This left the rural regions almost exclusively white
o This created two Americas – a metropolitan, multiracial suburban America, and a rural,
often biracial America
Minority rights and representation in the 20th century:
• The 20th century brought two significant developments to the civil rights movement:
o Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) which illegalised segregation – served as
the catalyst for the movement to overturn the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine
o 1964 Civil Rights Act that outlawed discrimination based on race or ethnicity
• There was also the on-going argument between ‘equality of opportunity’ and ‘equality of
results’:
o Many argued that equality for opportunity did nothing for equality in practice, and only
promoted the theory of rights and equality
o This gave rise to the desire for proactive action to ensure these results – done through
busing, quotas, and affirmative action
• Definitions:
o Busing – the movement to create racially mixed schools, especially in racially homogenous
neighbourhoods (black inner city and white suburbs)
o Quotas – the reservation of a certain number of spots for minorities
o Affirmative action – giving minorities a head-start in higher education and employment by
using race or ethnicity as a beneficial criteria
Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’:
• In May 1961, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) sent ‘freedom riders’ to challenge transport
segregation in Southern states; this ultimately led to the 1961 Civil Rights protests, where 70,000
people participated and 3,600 arrested. It occurred in over 100 cities in 20 states
• Against this backdrop, MLK gave his famous speech that was considered a defining moment for the
civil rights movement
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller maxcollingbourne. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.55. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
