Civil Rights in USA

Name:
Course title:
Instructor:
Institution:
Date Due:
Civil Rights in USA
One of the most influential statements that were proclaimed in the eve of American independence by the first leaders was that all men were equal and that these human beings have unalienable rights that are unique to each other. Among these basic rights are rights to life, happiness and freedom. The government, which is instituted by people, ought to ensure that all persons are granted these rights. The first fathers of America proclaimed that all persons were created equal and therefore, the government should endeavour to treat them equally. The 13th and 14th amendments were established as an attempt to remove inequalities that were widely experienced between people of different races.
The concept of the equality was however, not clearly depicted in the American constitution until certain amendments to the same were made. The 13th amendment that was established in 1965 outlawed slavery, and the preceding 14th amendment established three years later, provided equal rights for all USA citizens. This amendment included the word equality in section 1, which outlaws the state from prohibiting individuals their unalienable rights (14th amendment, sec 1, 1868). Some of the high court rulings however subjugated this aspect by setting a negative precedent in some of its rulings. For instance, the case of Plessy v. Ferguson
Citizenship Factor in the 14th Amendment
The 14th amendment adopted in the US constitution guaranteed equality and the associated privileges to both African and American citizens. The amendment had resolved the pre-civil war conflict that was experienced between black and whites. It stipulates, “all persons born or naturalized in the  HYPERLINK "/topics/states" United States...have a right of American citizenship and the various states in which they live." This translated that all people born in USA whether black or white were supposed to exercise these rights. This is with disregard to race, ethnicity, gender or the alien age of the parents. The amendment further expounds on these rights and that the government to see to it that all citizens were protected by this law (14th amendment, sec 1, 1868).
The major aim of creating the fourteenth amendment was to address equality issues that were at the time not stipulated in the constitution. During this time, the black race in USA was not being considered as equal to the white race. Additionally, American natives were neither regarded as citizens. This was because these Native Americans were also considered as members of the Indian states. The 1866 civil rights law and the preceding 14th amendment in 1868 extended birthright citizenship to blacks and all those born within the US. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court ruling made it explicit that all children whether born from parents of foreign dissident could as well be regarded as America nationals. The only exceptions were on children of foreign diplomats and enemy nations (Lee, 2010, p2).
In contravention of this 14th amendment regulation, a ruling by US Supreme Court in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson resulted into the provision of separate but “equal” amenities for blacks in America. The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling became a basis for controversies between Africans and Americans in USA. This saw the segregation of transportation facilities, social amenities, public facilities and others. It can also be understood that the facilities for black people were never equal to that of the whites thus, there emerged a new form of segregation (Lee, 2010, p12).
The Aspect of Race, Ethnicity and Gender in USA
In American perspective, the distinction of humanity tends to focus on several factors such as age, economic class, gender, ethnicity and race. This was the criteria used to identify members of particular groups. Neil articulates that aspect of race, ethnicity and gender has a far-reaching influence on American citizens (Neil, 2006, p115). Research findings on the factors of race, gender and ethnicity have supported this notion of gender and ethnic disparities in USA. The attention has also been redirected on work related gender disparity, race and ethnic segregation. Kaufman for instance noted that a third of either African or white employees would change careers to achieve social integration in the society (Kaufman, 2002, p310).
Other researchers such as Reskin, McBrier, and Kmec also established that ethnic minorities were poorly represented in many work related sectors (Reskin, P70 McBrier, 115 and Kmec, p59). Additionally, researchers such as Devey et al (2006) and Steinbeck found out that segregation of Africans and Hispanics in the employment sector remained at the level of 1980s (Devey et al, 2006, Steinbeck, p227)
Case Studies
Plessey vs. Ferguson
In the year 1890s, a middle-aged man named Homer Plessy was arrested by polic...