In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 82-352. This civil rights act forbade hiring, promoting, and firing discrimination based on sex or race. Title VII of the act created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to implement the law. Subsequent legislation expanded the role of the EEOC. Today, the EEOC enforces laws that prohibit…

On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was declared a violation of the 14th Amendment and was unconstitutional. This historic decision marked the end of the…

In April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. Under the powers granted to it by the U.S. Constitution, Congress passed the Selective Service Act of 1917. Among the first regiments to arrive in France, and among the most highly decorated when it returned, was the 369th Infantry, more gallantly known as the…

Presents a lesson tracing the legal evolution toward greater justice in U.S. society from 1865-1965 through congressional acts and Supreme Court decisions. Includes student handouts of major civil rights cases, legislation, and background information. Provides a bar graph for evaluating Supreme Court decisions and congressional acts that advance…