Civil Rights: Laws or Morality

by Anne Fiedler, PhD

Overview

Setting the Stage: Questions to think About

What is your definition of discrimination?
What duty do citizens of the United States have to prevent discrimination?
What laws protect citizens from discrimination?
Under these laws, what groups are protected, and which are not?
Do you believe that there is a difference between what the laws say about discrimination and what your ethical duty is in terms of how you treat other individuals?
What environmental factors will trigger new types of discrimination?

Introduction

Discrimination has not only been a fact of life in the United States since the country's inception, but it has often been accepted and even codified. It is only when a group of citizens recognizes that an injustice is being perpetrated that change occurs. This module will discuss the civil rights movements in the United States. The focus will be on citizens' actions that brought about legislation such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1866, 1871 and 1964. It will also focus on the state of the civil rights of citizens since these laws were passed and the impact of society on discrimination. Further, we will examine the duty of individuals to ensure that everyone is treated equally.

Also, many students naively believe that discrimination no longer exists. Some current cases, such as the pending class action gender discrimination suit (involving 1.6 million women) against Wal-Mart will be discussed.

This module focuses on discrimination. It examines the impact of the civil rights laws on society and examines whether the law alone is enough or if the ethics of individuals must change in order for society