USA HL HISTORY
, CASE STUDY 1
Background to the Civil Rights Movement
● Founding documents (like the Declaration of Independence) declared that "all men are created
equal" with rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
● These rights were not applied to everyone — large minorities such as Native Americans, enslaved
Africans, and women were excluded.
● African-Americans were still enslaved after 1783; over 90% remained enslaved in the South
despite US independence.
● Many African-Americans today descend from people forcibly trafficked to America by
Europeans.
The American Constitution and Civil Rights
● Civil rights = legal, political, and social equality under the law.
● The US Constitution enshrined these rights:
○ Right to vote
○ Equal treatment under law
○ Fair trial
○ Free speech, religion, and movement
● The Civil Rights Movement aimed to secure these rights for African-Americans by changing
the law or how it was interpreted.
The US System of Government
● The US created a federal system: powers shared between federal and state governments.
● Federal capital established in Washington DC (1791).
● States had their own elected governments responsible for education, policing, etc.
● The Congress (federal legislature) had two houses: House of Representatives and Senate.
● Changes to laws had to be passed by both houses and ratified by states as amendments.
● The Supreme Court decided if laws were constitutional, influencing civil rights law
interpretations.
Slavery, the Constitution, and Civil Rights
● 1783: USA created from 13 former British colonies.
● The Declaration of Independence stated "all men are created equal," but this excluded Native
Americans, enslaved people, and women.
● After 1783, most African Americans remained enslaved, especially in the South.
● Civil rights = legal, political, and social rights (e.g., vote, fair trial, free speech).
● Civil Rights Movement sought to achieve these rights through law reform and federal support.
, CASE STUDY 1
Background to the Civil Rights Movement
● Founding documents (like the Declaration of Independence) declared that "all men are created
equal" with rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
● These rights were not applied to everyone — large minorities such as Native Americans, enslaved
Africans, and women were excluded.
● African-Americans were still enslaved after 1783; over 90% remained enslaved in the South
despite US independence.
● Many African-Americans today descend from people forcibly trafficked to America by
Europeans.
The American Constitution and Civil Rights
● Civil rights = legal, political, and social equality under the law.
● The US Constitution enshrined these rights:
○ Right to vote
○ Equal treatment under law
○ Fair trial
○ Free speech, religion, and movement
● The Civil Rights Movement aimed to secure these rights for African-Americans by changing
the law or how it was interpreted.
The US System of Government
● The US created a federal system: powers shared between federal and state governments.
● Federal capital established in Washington DC (1791).
● States had their own elected governments responsible for education, policing, etc.
● The Congress (federal legislature) had two houses: House of Representatives and Senate.
● Changes to laws had to be passed by both houses and ratified by states as amendments.
● The Supreme Court decided if laws were constitutional, influencing civil rights law
interpretations.
Slavery, the Constitution, and Civil Rights
● 1783: USA created from 13 former British colonies.
● The Declaration of Independence stated "all men are created equal," but this excluded Native
Americans, enslaved people, and women.
● After 1783, most African Americans remained enslaved, especially in the South.
● Civil rights = legal, political, and social rights (e.g., vote, fair trial, free speech).
● Civil Rights Movement sought to achieve these rights through law reform and federal support.
