Vocabulary Terms And Definitions Relative To This Lesson

In order to show how the “separate but equal” doctrine came to be, as a class we created a mock trial of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. The idea of separate but equal allowed states to segregate black and white people through public services and accommodations for over 60 years. Despite this idea of equality in the doctrine, many people took advantage of it, as it gave both black and white people an influence on whether they were inferior or superior.

Filibusters were a common tactic used for preventing the passing of a bill by holding the senate floor and using any means to delay or block

Plessy v. Ferguson , a very important case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the legality of racial segregation. At the time of the ruling, segregation between blacks and whites already existed in most schools, restaurants, and other public facilities in the American South. In the Plessy decision, the Supreme Court ruled that such segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. This amendment provides equal protection of the law to all U.S. citizens, regardless of race. The court ruled in Plessy that racial segregation was legal as long as the separate facilities for blacks and whites were “equal.”

The Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson is known for having established the precedent of “separate but equal.” The case originated in Louisiana and was specifically made to the separate passenger cars that were for the black and white races. The Supreme Court, in this case, upheld the right of Louisiana to separate the races and “this decision provided the legal foundation to justify many other actions by state and local governments to socially separate blacks and whites” (Zimmerman, 1997). It was not until the famous Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954 that the highest court in the land outlawed the principal of segregation and the concept of “separate but equal.”

“They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men” - Clare Boothe Luce. A filibuster is a long speech used to delay a bill or a piece of legislation. It is a loophole within the Senate rules that has proven useful in a Congressional debate. Filibusters grants a significant power created by taking a stand against a flawed rule which gave the minority group power over a more dominant group. Consequently, the majority mitigated any abuse of the filibuster by limiting it.

The separate but equal doctrine was put forth in 1868. It promised the idea of an equal representation and protection under the law, no matter the race of an individual. People of color were reduced to separate bathrooms, railroad cars, restaurants, and even schools from whites. The mere revulsion of the idea that individuals were forced to be divided from others due to the distaste of one race towards another only scrapes the surface. The other issue, is that these separate facilities weren't so “equal”. The schools for colored folks had shortages in books and resources. The bathrooms were often grimy and malfunctioned. As shown currently in Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education, this “Separate but Equal” doctrine was simply an excuse to allow racism and bigotry to thrive.

This means use of obstructive or irregular strategies by a member of a legislative assembly to stop or prevent the adoption of a motion generally liked or forcing a decision not accepted by the majority (Hornby, 1974).

Filibuster is defined as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in legislation. Filibusters are a waste of legislation time, which could be put toward more important bills that could and need to be passed.

A Filibuster by definition “ an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures.” (Google Search) A Filibuster can also be used as a tactic to stop a piece of legislation from passing, and has been a common tool in the minority party arsenal for a very long time. Once a senator has started a Filibuster he or she may continue to speak on any topic or subject, and can only be stopped by a three-fifths closure vote by the other members of the senate. It was also applicable in the House of Representatives until 1842 when rules were adopted to limit the time of debate.

Lawmakers use filibuster by using procedural rules to block or delay legislative action. The term filibuster refers to a long drawn out debate of a bill carried on by one or more senators. Lawmakers continue to talk about the matter to prevent any votes, lawmakers use other delaying tactics also.

In 1954, the Court had occasion to reconsider the “separate, but equal” doctrine delineated in Plessy. Just as Dred Scott is the origin of formalism, Brown v. Board of Education is the origin of judicial activism. The issue before the Court in Brown was whether segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other tangible factors may be equal, violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Because this was a similar, if not the same, issue presented in Plessy, stare decisis should have been applied to reach a different result.

The NAACP legal team chipped away at the Separate but Equal Doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson.

A strategic move that can be employed by U.S. Senators whereby a pending bill can be prevented from being voted on through endless debate on the senate floor. The practice is often referred to as “talking a bill to death” and it can only be overcome through cloture, requiring a 3/5 vote of the Senate.

A filibuster is when a senator holes long speeches in order to health congresses progress in passing a new bill or revising an amendment. I said previously, the upper chamber of Congress can stop a filibuster. The upper chamber of Congress consist of the one hundred senators. Stopping a filibuster takes a lot of work, you have to get sixteen signatures in order to evoke closure and then the Senate has to vote on permanent closure. This particular filibuster was led by a minority in the concern of gun control. Minorities or people who don't agree on a certain law or bill are often the ones who will conduct filibusters. When a bill is about to be considered and has to go through special review in Congress. The majority will ask consent to except it's amendment or request a conference in order to discuss or debate over the amendment. However, if a senator does not want the amendment to go through they can hold a

A few definitions are necessary to understand while learning the complex structure of emotional intelligence and empathy. Emotional Intelligence as defined by Peter Salovey and John Mayer “is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth” (Goleman). There are five components of emotional intelligence, as stated by Goleman: self-awareness, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy, and social skills. Self- awareness is being able to identify and define the emotions one feels. Self-regulation is one’s ability to control emotional impulses and to think prior