Tuesday, April 1, 2014

NOTES 4/1/14

1. Heterogeneous Society is composed of of different people/ cultures.
2. Immigrant- Alien from a different country (LEGAL)
3. Reservation -Public land given to the Native Americans by the United States Government.
4. Refugee- Somebody who moves to another country for ones own protection.
5. Assimilation- When you change or adapt your culture to majority's culture.

America is mostly white people. It has been historically.
Immigrants have arrived in near record numbers every year since the 1960's.
Populations that have grown- African American, Hispanic, Asian American.
Minority populations exceed white populations in the following states- California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas.
More Women are coming about.
African Americans are main target for discrimination.

  • Victims of consistent and deliberate unjust treatment for a long time.
  • Main minoritys in USA 14%
  • Most of the gains the nation has made in translating the Constitutions guarantees of equality for all the people. Most of the gains were made by AA.
When Americans arrived in mid-1600's nearly a million native Americans were already here.

  • American Settlers brought disease. Sent Native Americans Westward
  • The indian education act of 1972 attempted to remedy the lives 
Hispanic Americans have a spanish background
Hispanics can be any race
Hispanics are the largest minority group. 50 million
Divided into 4 main groups - Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans

Asian Americans
-chinese laborers were the first asians to come to america in large numbers in the 1850s and 60s.
-they faced violence from whites who felt that they were taking their jobs.
-WWII all japanese were evacuated to the pacific coast, even native born.
-Chinese exclusion act of 1882-80 years.

Section 3:

-Those who oppose civil rights often believe you cant change morality by passing a law

Civil Rights Act of 1964:
-passed after the longest debate in senate history. (83 days)
-made four major changes:
     voting provisions
     public services could no longer deny access based on race
     federal funding programs could not discriminate for the same reasons
     employers could also not discriminate as well as labor unions
Civil Rights Act of 1968:
-aka the open housing act
-could not refuse selling or renting a living space to a person due to race

Affirmative Action:
-requires employers to take positive steps to fix the affects of past discrimination
-employers must meet quotas for minority groups/genders
-reverse discrimination: discrimination against majority group; they are denied opportunities so minority groups have more opportunities.
-California, washington, michigan, and nebraska voters passed measures to eliminate all affirmative action plans
-The Bakke Case:
     Allan Bakke sued the University of California because he was denied access to their medical school due        to affirmative action.
     He won.
-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor predicts in 25 years the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary


Section 4-

  • An american citizen is a person that swears allegiance to the US.
  • The 14th amendment was the first constitutional definition- " all persons born or naturalized in the us are subject to where they reside."
  • The constitution declares that a person becomes an American citizen one of two ways: 1. born in the US. 2. Naturalization 
CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

  • 90% of Americans are by birth.
CITIZENSHIP BY NATURALIZATION

  • Naturalization is legal process in becoming citizen
  • Normally naturalization is done individually. 
  • Collective naturalization- Entire groups can become citizens which happens through en masse. Happens when the US gains new territory
LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP

  • Every american has the right to denounce citizenship. This is called Expatriation.
  • It is unconstitutional for Congress to take away a persons citizenship based on something he/she has done. 
  • Naturalized citizens CAN lose their citizenship through denaturalization- only occurs by a court order.
  • Marriage: does not make you a citizen. Shortens the time of the naturalization process.
IMMIGRATION

  • Congress has control of who can enter and leave the country.
  • Quotas for immigration began to exist: limits to the number of people allowed from each country territory.
  • Immigration act of 1965- did away with the quota system
  • Under the immigration act of 1990. Now allow 675000 immigrants into the US each year special preferences are still given to immediate family
  • Some people can be denied entrance based on their characteristics: criminals, mentally ill, harmful people.
  • Deportation- legal process by which aliens are required to leave the country
  • Biggest reasons for deportation: illegal immigrant, conviction of a serious crime.



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