Which of the following did the most to expand civil rights in the 1950’s? a. state legislative decisions desegregating public accommodationsb. state court decisions outlawing poll taxesc. the passage of voting-rights legislation by congressd. executive orders mandating affirmative actione. the supreme court decision declaring state-mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional

Correct  

e. The Supreme Court decision declaring state-mandated school segregation to be unconstitutional.

Explanation:

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, decided by the US Supreme Court in 1954, was a landmark case that major impact on the expansion of civil rights for black Americans.

Brown v. Board ruled that all Americans are entitled to the same civil liberties and protections in regard to access to education. Until that decision, it was legal to segregate schools according to race, so that black students could not attend the same schools as white students.  An older Supreme Court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), had said that separate, segregated public facilities were acceptable as long as the facilities offered were equal in quality.  In the case of Brown v. Board of Education, that standard was challenged and defeated.  Segregation was shown to create inequality, and the Supreme Court unanimously ruled segregation to be unconstitutional.

The ruling was important in advancing civil rights because it affirmed that the 14th Amendment applies to all rights and privileges of citizens, including access to  education.  

1. ford: gerald ford´s presidency, from 1974 to 1977, faced high inflation, named it public enemy nº1, and created the win program (whip inflation now).

2. carter: president from 1977 to 1981, carter had controversial poitions over abortion, but yet, he enforce the roe vs wade decision, which had pro-choice content.

3. reagan. for his eloquency and powerful speeches in his mandates, from 1981 to 1989, reagan earned this nickname, “the great communicator” .

4. george h w bush: despite many presidents had important roles in managing and trying to end the cold war, it was in bush sr's mandate that the berlin wall was materially destroyed, and he was visited by gorbachev in the uspresident from 1989 to 1993.

5. clinton: defense of marriage act. clinton signed this controvesial act, which defined marriage and spouses in strict heterosexual perspective, that was later declard unconstitutional by the us supreme court.

6. george w bush: in the begining of his presidency, which lasted until 2009, bush jr faced the greatest terrorist attacks in us and probably the worlds history, in september, 11 of 2001.

7. obama: in attempts to cease a great economical crisis, barack obama signed the controversial recovery act in february 2009, which handled 780-billion dollars.