Racism was an enduring part of American life before the modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This was especially true for the southern United States, where racism was rooted in all aspects of society. Southern blacks were severely exploited economically, where they were forced to toil at the bottom of the occupational
During the past 15 years, sex offender civil commitment laws have emerged that require some dangerous sex offenders to receive involuntary treatment in a secure facility after their criminal incarceration. Following an assessment of risk, sex offenders who are considered likely to re-offend are entitled to a trial with a judge or jury, where evidence
Civil commitment is the legal process under which individuals with mental illness may be subjected to involuntary hospitalization. This research paper discusses the impact and consequences of commitment, the justifications for the resulting intrusion on liberty, the statutory criteria for commitment, and the constitutional requirements that underlie them. It examines the requirement that candidates for
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the wake of the assassination of President Kennedy and as the civil rights movement continued its struggle for social equality. Although a bill prohibiting discrimination in the workplace had been introduced in Congress every year since 1943, the filibuster and other
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 is compromise legislation passed after a heated two-year political struggle and ambitiously amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (referred to as “Title VII”); the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (referred to as “Section 1981”); the
Same sex marriage refers to a union by two people of the same sex that is legally sanctioned by the state, where identical rights and responsibilities are afforded same sex and heterosexual married couples. The term ‘‘gay marriage’’ is popularly used to refer to same sex partner ships or cohabiting relationships that are formally registered
Civil law entails two distinct categories of meaning. It is used to reference Romano Germanic law, one of four broad forms of legal systems that presently are most practiced throughout the world. In this context, civil law is best under stood in juxtaposition to common (Anglo Saxon), religious (e.g., Islamic), and socialist law. Civil law
“Civil society” has been through a series of definitions since it first came into use in the 18th century. Locke, Hegel, Marx, and Gramsci all used the term; but for Locke it meant organized human civilization as contrasted with the animal kingdom’s turbulence, for Marx it meant the economic process, and the other two writers
Civil disobedience refers to the willful challenge and disruption of law or the orderly flow and process of daily social activity. The intent of such action is to foster change in perceived unjust, immoral, or unethical government policies, mandates, or procedures. Civil disobedience is usually a nonviolent but officially discredited means to resolve citizen grievance.
Civil religion refers to the cultural beliefs, practices, and symbols that relate a nation to the ultimate conditions of its existence. The idea of civil religion can be traced to the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau’s On the Social Contract (1762). Writing in the wake of the Protestant–Catholic religious wars, Rousseau maintained the need for