There is a case study of civil rights and the deliberate pace of change in the Birkland textbook (pp. 96–102). This appears to be a case study of some interest, given the materials covered this week. Think about the following questions:
What do you see as some of the lessons in the case study?
As I reflect on Birkland’s case study, the first lesson I gathered is the separation of powers and the system of federalism serves as a double edge sword. For example, the same systems that were in place for the preservation of states rights and providing political stability, restrained the government from “addressing some of the key problems of the day” (2016, p. 93). As the text states the Civil Rights Act of 1875 did not see fruition to nearly a century later through congressional legislation. Thus, the lesson shows that despite governments efforts to ratify laws that are altruistic and beneficial to the nation, the same process that allows government to make moral laws often requires consistent federal oversight and regelation for implementation. …show more content…
The political process failed to uphold the rights of minorities in the south from the inception of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 with the Compromise of 1877. This is a direct example of how the will of the majority can suppress the rights of the minority when politicians neglect or fail to enforce laws in favor of stability (Hayes wanted to ensure the stability of the Union in the aftermath of civil war). Thus, the cycle of oppression continues with Jim Crow laws and federal inaction until the 1950s and 60s when minority rights become an issue that appears in the media, (i.e., photographs, news coverage, recorded speeches, etc.) civil rights groups begin to galvanize larger numbers, and elected and appointed officials become more proactive in
What do you see as some of the lessons in the case study?
As I reflect on Birkland’s case study, the first lesson I gathered is the separation of powers and the system of federalism serves as a double edge sword. For example, the same systems that were in place for the preservation of states rights and providing political stability, restrained the government from “addressing some of the key problems of the day” (2016, p. 93). As the text states the Civil Rights Act of 1875 did not see fruition to nearly a century later through congressional legislation. Thus, the lesson shows that despite governments efforts to ratify laws that are altruistic and beneficial to the nation, the same process that allows government to make moral laws often requires consistent federal oversight and regelation for implementation. …show more content…
The political process failed to uphold the rights of minorities in the south from the inception of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 with the Compromise of 1877. This is a direct example of how the will of the majority can suppress the rights of the minority when politicians neglect or fail to enforce laws in favor of stability (Hayes wanted to ensure the stability of the Union in the aftermath of civil war). Thus, the cycle of oppression continues with Jim Crow laws and federal inaction until the 1950s and 60s when minority rights become an issue that appears in the media, (i.e., photographs, news coverage, recorded speeches, etc.) civil rights groups begin to galvanize larger numbers, and elected and appointed officials become more proactive in