Civil Rights Essay

by

Humanities

  1. Your second essay will focus on Civil Rights. This is a broad area of constitutional guarantees, rooted primarily in the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Select three Supreme Court cases in ONE area of Civil Rights. For instance, choose three cases that address gender discrimination, or three that deal with sexual harassment, or three that deal with affirmative action, and so on. These cases will serve as the basis of your essay.

    • The cases you choose do not have to relate to the rights of students and, in fact, should not come from the textbook. You will need to do independent research to find the three cases.

  2. Prepare a brief for each of the three cases.

  3. Write a 3-5 page essay (typed, standard 12-pt. font, double spaced) discussing the evolution of the Court’s thinking on the area you chose, based on the three cases you briefed.

  4. You should use and cite at least three sources in this paper: the textbook (for general information, not cases) plus two other legal/academic sources and/or major news sources. You may use any style that you are comfortable with (MLA, APA), I only ask that you use it properly and consistently.