GED Social Studies : Court Cases and Civil Rights

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GED Social Studies

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Court Cases And Civil Rights

Who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Civil Rights Era?

Possible Answers:

Thurgood Marshall

John Marshall

Roger Taney

John Jay

Earl Warren

Correct answer:

Earl Warren

Explanation:

The Warren Court of the 1950s and 1960s was lead by Chief Justice Earl Warren. During this era, the Supreme Court overturned many laws and precedents that had entrenched racial and gender divides in society. The most famous ruling of this time period is Brown v. Board of Education which ruled that the doctrine in place in much of the South and Midwest “Separate, but equal” was inherently unconstitutional. This overturned decades of precedent which had been established in 1896 with the Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson.

Example Question #2 : Court Cases And Civil Rights

The Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade __________

Possible Answers:

legalized abortion.

criminalized same-sex marriage.

legalized same-sex marriage.

criminalized abortion.

overturned the separate but equal precedent established by Plessy v. Ferguson.

Correct answer:

legalized abortion.

Explanation:

The Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade (1973), decided that the right to abortion was a fundamental right of all women in the United States. The court case has ramifications to this day, and despite the issue presumably having been settled in the courts, it remains extremely polarizing in America—dividing many people into pro-life and pro-choice camps, and inspiring a seemingly endless number of grassroots movements and campaigns. 

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