Our next unit explores what creates one's political ideology and how ideology aligns with political parties and influences public policy. I described the role of "linkage institutions " such as political parties, the media ,and interest groups in connecting the citizenry with public policy makers. We then discussed how family, peers, civic organizations , and demographics shape one's political ideology. For example, we noted how during the Vietnam War, younger people were very politically active and protested the War because of the draft. On the other hand ,their parents, who may have fought in WWII, had very different ideas on the value of military service.

In preparation for Friday's test on Unit 3 that includes the Bill of Rights, the 14th Amendment, and the Civil Rights Movement, Matthew took an AP practice test during today's session. After he completed the exercise, we reviewed all of the questions and the data graphs and discussed the correct answers . We further looked at a sample essay question comparing studied US Supreme Court cases and reviewed the operation of the due process clause and the case of Gideon v Wainwright.

We discussed the controversial topic of affirmative action in the context of the interpretation of the equal protection clause. After I reviewed the strict scrutiny standard employed when a law or policy treats one gender ,race , or religion different from another, I explained the holding in the Bakke case upholding certain affirmative action policies while disallowing numerical quotas. We discussed the Court's rationale for finding a compelling government reason for the policy and discussed later cases upholding a "plus" point system in college and law school admissions. We then critically addressed how a change in the Supreme Court justices significantly impacts the court's decisions. I discussed the recent case now before the Court challenging the affirmative action policies of Harvard and the Univ. of North Carolina and outlined the arguments advanced against affirmative action in those cases. We discussed how the litigants in these cases argue that the equal protection clause protects all "persons" and is not the exclusive legal tool of marginalized communities. On the other hand, it is argued that the 14th Amendment was intended to ensure and protect the rights of freed slaves and therefore logically should not be used to dismantle programs that protect African American communities notwithstanding the literal language of the amendment.

Matthew was absent today.

I provided instruction on how government institutions, specifically Congress, responded to the Civil Rights Movement. I outlined the purpose and scope of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and reviewed the Heart of Atlanta Hotel case that upheld the constitutionality of the Act. Next, I addressed the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the recent case of Shelby v Holder that basically eviscerated the Act. I weaved the concept of federalism into our discussion on voting and explained how states can engage in voter suppression . Last, I discussed Title IX that prohibits discrimination against women in educational programs that accept federal aid. I noted that we will return to the equal protection clause and discuss how different courts can interpret this clause either to protect minority rights or to restrict minority rights.

We studied the impact of social movements on political institutions such as the Courts and Congress by exploring details of Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Plessy v Ferguson and Brown vs Bd of Education. I discussed King's rationale for defying certain laws that he considered immoral and therefore unjust and a violation of Natural Law . In this context, I reviewed the concept of Natural Law as it appears in the writings of John Locke and the Declaration of Independence and noted how in the AP exam one can connect King's essay to the Declaration in their reliance on "natural law and natural rights.". I then discussed the holding in Plessy v Ferguson and the Supreme Court's reversal on Plessy in Brown. Of interest while the Court held that segregation in schools violated the equal protection clause, most of the Court's rationale was founded in the deleterious psychological and social impact segregation inflicts on African-American children. I discussed how the Court avoided too much discussion of the 14th Amendment because historically it is doubtful that the states and Congress intended the 14th Amendment to abolish school segregation that was legal and pervasive at the time the 14th Amendment was ratified. I then discussed the implementation of Brown by school busing .

We began our study of the Civil Rights Movement by identifying the Constitutional foundation in the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. I distinguished the function of the due process clause and the equal protection clause for this analysis. Regarding equal protection, I then outlined the sliding scale of scrutiny employed by the courts to determine if a law violates the equal protection clause emphasizing that the strict scrutiny test applies to laws that impact race, religion, gender , and origin. We then discussed the role of Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement by studying his famous. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." I discussed direct action, the purpose of direct action, and King's arguments in favor of non violent direct action even where the action might constitute a violation of law.

We had an engaging discussion and exploration of the constitutional right to abortion. I traced the legal case law from Griswold's declaration of a constitution right of privacy, to Roe v Wade's holding that the right of privacy protects abortion rights, to the affirmance of Roe in Casey,and finally to last year's Supreme Court case ,Dobbs, reversing Roe holding that the Constitution does not protect abortion rights. I discussed how the concept of "due process" in the 14th Amendment informed all of the decisions notwithstanding the contrary holding of Dobbs. Matthew commented on all of the cases and his opinion on the constitutional right to abortion recognizing the role of the due process clause, the incorporation theory ,and the difficulty of resolving the issue.

In the context of the rights of the accused, we continued examining the "incorporation " theory derived from the 14th Amendment's due process clause . I reviewed the incorporation of the 2nd ,3rd, 4th and 5th Amendments and then addressed the incorporation of the right to counsel in the 6th Amendment. We specifically studied the facts and holding in the Gideon case and the expansion of the right to counsel in police line ups and upon arrest. I then addressed the partial incorporation of the 8th Amendment specifically the prohibition against "cruel and unusual " punishment . Last, I introduced how the "due process" clause was used in Roe v Wade to argue the right to privacy was a fundamental right implied within the Bill of Rights..

Matthew took a test on the First Amendment during today's session.