US GOVERNMENT : COURTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES : 04.04 CIVIL RIGHTS By: Sydnee Erbschloe

1. 04.04 Civil Rights
By Sydnee Erbschloe

2. Gideon v. Wainwright
Clarence Gideon was arrested for
burglary in 1963. He was accused of
the crime and refused access to legal
representation. Despite being given a
five-year prison term, Gideon was
exonerated after the Supreme Court
ruled that indigent defendants are
entitled to free legal representation.
The right to legal representation is
fundamental to the 6th Amendment's
guarantee of due process for the
accused. With the Miranda Rights
decision in Miranda v. Arizona, the
rights of the accused were further
expanded. Despite his reputation as a
thief, Gideon is depicted as an
unlikely hero who greatly advanced
civil liberties in the United States
in the image provided below.

3. Miranda v. Arizona
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) was a 5-4
Supreme Court decision that established
that an arrested individual is entitled
to rights against self-incrimination and
an attorney under the 5th and 6th
Amendments of the US Constitution. The
case involved Ernesto Miranda, who was
arrested in 1963 for rape and
kidnapping. Despite not being advised on
his rights, Miranda signed a confession
affirming his rights. His conviction led
to a robbery and a prison sentence. The
Supreme Court ruled that presenting
Miranda's confession as evidence
violated his constitutional rights under
the 5th and 6th Amendments.
The case involved four dissenters and three
separate opinions. After Arizona's ruling was
overturned, the state court retried the case
without presenting Miranda's confession,
convicted him of the same charges, and sentenced
him to 30 years in prison.

4. Civil Rights Act of 1964
Disparities between the races persisted even eighty
years after the conclusion of the Civil War. However,
thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, segregation is no longer tolerated in
public places like restaurants and hotels. Equal
treatment and pay were among the other civil rights
guaranteed by this Act, which benefited both African
Americans and women in the workplace. The 19th
Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote, but this
was an even bigger step toward gender parity. Below is
a candid photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson shaking
hands with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after Johnson
signed the Civil Rights Act. This striking photo
beautifully depicts the progress of civil rights over
time.

5. 24th Amendment
On January 23, 1964, voters nationwide were no longer
required to pay any taxes to cast a ballot in federal
elections thanks to the ratification of the 24th
amendment to the United States Constitution. The
amendment was written to shield African-Americans from
discriminatory legislation like the poll tax that
plagued the South. In January 1964, 38 states ratified
the amendment despite fears that Southern states would
reject it. The amendment was included in the landmark
Civil Rights Act, which criminalized segregation and
other forms of discrimination. Because of the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, voting is now a fully guaranteed
right for all adult citizens of the United States.

6. Work Cited Page
“Amendment 24 - United States Constitution Interactive.” Mr. Nussbaum - Amendment 24 - United States Constitution Interactive,
mrnussbaum.com/amendment-24-united-states-constitution-interactive. Accessed 6 July 2023.
“Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Definition, Summary & Significance.” History.Com, www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act. Accessed 6 July 2023.
“The Civil Rights Act of 1964.” Robert H. Mayer, www.roberthmayer.com/civil-rights-act. Accessed 6 July 2023.
“Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 24 – ‘Elimination of Poll Taxes.’” Ronald Reagan,
www.reaganlibrary.gov/constitutional-amendments-amendment-24-elimination-poll-taxes#:~:text=Constitutional%20Amendments%20–%20Amendment%2024%20–%
20“Elimination%20of%20Poll%20Taxes”,-Political%20cartoon%20by&text=Amendment%20Twenty-four%20to%20the,on%20voters%20during%20federal%20elect
ions. Accessed 6 July 2023.
“Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 24 – ‘Elimination of Poll Taxes.’” Ronald Reagan,
www.reaganlibrary.gov/constitutional-amendments-amendment-24-elimination-poll-taxes. Accessed 6 July 2023.
Florida Supreme Court, supremecourt.flcourts.gov/Library-Archives/Historical-Documents-Rare-Books/Miranda-v-Arizona-1966. Accessed 6 July 2023.
Kelly, Martin. “Gideon v. Wainwright and the Right to Counsel in Criminal Cases.” ThoughtCo, 4 May 2019, www.thoughtco.com/gideon-v-wainwright-104960.
“Research Guides: A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States: 1966: Miranda v. Arizona.” 1966: Miranda v. Arizona - A Latinx
Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States - Research Guides at Library of Congress,
guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/miranda-v-arizona#:~:text=In%20a%205-4%20Supreme,Miranda%20v. Accessed 6 July 2023.
Senters, Kristyn. “The 24th Amendment.” Texas Women’s Foundation, 4 Sept. 2020, txwf.org/the-24th-amendment/.
“{{meta.Pagetitle}}.” {{meta.siteName}}, www.oyez.org/cases/1962/155. Accessed 6 July 2023.