How does Iowa demonstrate, "Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain?"
Iowa has a proud record of laws and court decisions that have established precedents that expanded civil rights and equality before they were adopted on the national level. The first case heard by the Iowa Supreme Court, the Case of Ralph in 1839, declared that a slave who came to the state legally could not be forced to return to his or her master because Iowa did not allow slavery. That came a decade before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision that enslaved people were property, could be taken anywhere and had no rights. It took the Civil War to end the question of slavery. After Iowa desegregated schools in 1868, it took the U.S. Supreme Court almost 90 years to reach the same conclusion in Brown v. Board of Education.
Iowa and Expanding Civil Rights
Iowa was also one of the first states to grant African-American men the right to vote. In 1868, Iowa voters (all white men at the time) approved a constitutional amendment that removed the word "white" as a qualification for voting. While Iowa-born and educated Carrie Chapman Catt became the leader of the national organization promoting women’s suffrage, Iowa was not in the forefront of states granting that right. Iowa voters, still all male, defeated an amendment is 1916 to extend voting rights to women, but the Iowa legislature approved a national Constitutional amendment for women's suffrage opening the 1920 elections to both sexes. Discrimination based on sex or gender orientation rose to prominence in the latter half of the 20th century. Iowa voters twice defeated an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) designed to prevent discrimination against women. In the referenda of 1980 and 1992, opponents helped to defeat the ERA proposal by arguing that it would advance gay rights when laws could not discriminate based on sex. In 2009, however, Iowa became the third state to grant same-sex couples the right to marriage by a ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court.
Separate and Unequal
However, it is important to look beyond the laws themselves to the way they were implemented — or not — in daily life. In Iowa's territory and early statehood days, there were laws that placed severe restrictions on African Americans wanting to move into the state or live here. They had to post bonds to insure that they would not become public charges and were denied basic rights guaranteed to whites, like the right to serve on juries. While Iowa law prohibited public accommodations like trains, buses, restaurants, and theaters from discriminating on the basis of race, in practice African Americans often faced barriers. Many schools prohibited African Americans from playing on sports teams. Some communities even had "sunset laws" that required African Americans to leave town by evening. African-American students at the state universities were denied housing in school dorms until African-American veterans returning from World War II demanded and overturned that restriction. Edna Griffin led a 1948 protest against Katz Drug Store in Des Moines when it refused to serve her ice cream at its lunch counter. When she sued based on Iowa law, she won but was awarded $1. As late as the 1960s, some theaters required African Americans to sit in the balcony and some restaurants refused to serve African-American customers.
Refugee Resettlement
In other ways, however, Iowa has been a leader as an open and inclusive society. In the 1970s, Governor Robert Ray inaugurated a resettlement program for Vietnamese and Laotian refugees displaced by the civil wars in those countries. When Ray traveled to Southeast Asia and viewed the horrible conditions in refugee camps, he made a commitment to organize resources to help them establish new lives in Iowa. He mobilized churches and welfare groups to help refugees find housing, learn English and get jobs. Today, many of the refugees and their children have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions.
One must consider both the laws that are on the books and the ways that they are implemented when evaluating Iowa’s record. Attitudes toward race, gender and other factors have changed over the years, and Iowa has reflected those changes. Still, the long-term trend is toward eliminating barriers toward the full participation of all. Both the national creed in the Declaration of Independence that all "are created equal" and Iowa's motto that "our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain" have been powerful ideals by which we work toward creating a just society.
Supporting Questions
How do events from Iowa's history show a pattern of trailblazing for civil rights and equality on a national level?
- Letter by Iowa State Football Player Jack Trice Written from the Curtis Hotel, October 5, 1923 (Document)
- C.L. Brewers' Letter Barring Football Player Jack Trice from Playing at the University of Missouri, October 8, 1923 (Document)
- Letter from S.W. Beyer to C.L. Brewer and the University of Missouri about Iowa State's Jack Trice, October 10, 1923 (Document)
- Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, October 1950 (Image)
- National Register of Historic Places Application for the Moslem Temple, 1996 (Document)
- IPTV's "World War II Veteran: Mary Adams," 2008 (Video)
- "The Life and Legacy of Jack Trice" Essay from The Annals of Iowa, 2010 (Document)
How has Iowa’s state government changed or enforced state law to support civil rights and equality?
- Anti-Miscegenation Laws in Iowa, between 1839 and 1959 (Document)
- "State v. Amana Society: 1906," 2018 (Document)
In what ways has Iowa modeled upholding civil rights and equality for the national stage?
- Iowa Supreme Court Ruling on Montgomery v. Ralph, 1839 (Document)
- Alexander Clark's Petition to Allow Immigration of "Free Negroes" into Iowa, 1855 (Document)
- U.S. Supreme Court Majority Opinion on Dred Scott v. John Sanford Case, March 6, 1857 (Document)
- "Since it is my right, I would like to have it: Edna Griffin and the Katz Drug Store Desegregation Movement" Essay from The Annals of Iowa, 2008 (Document)
- IPTV's "Alexander Clark and the First Successful School Desegregation Case in the United States," 2012 (Video)
| Iowa: Leader in Civil Rights and Equality Source Set Teaching Guide |
| Printable Image and Document Guide |
Letter by Iowa State Football Player Jack Trice Written from the Curtis Hotel, October 5, 1923
Description
This letter was written by Jack Trice from the Curtis Hotel the night before his second game of the season for Iowa State College. Trice was the first African-American athlete to compete at Iowa State. In the letter, he described the significance of him playing in the game…
C.L. Brewers' Letter Barring Football Player Jack Trice from Playing at the University of Missouri, October 8, 1923
Description
This letter was sent from C.L. Brewer, director of the Department of Physical Education at the University of Missouri, to Iowa State College and Professor S. W. Beyer. Brewer's letter stated that Jack Trice, Iowa State's first African-American athlete, would not be allowed…
Letter from S.W. Beyer to C.L. Brewer and the University of Missouri about Iowa State's Jack Trice, October 10, 1923
Description
This letter was sent from S.W. Beyer to Director C.L. Brewer and the University of Missouri responding to their "request" that Jack Trice, Iowa State College's first African-American athlete, not play in their upcoming football game. Beyer informs Brewer that Trice would…
Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, October 1950
Description
This photograph is of the Mother Mosque of America, also once known as Moslem Temple and the Rose of Fraternity Lodge. This building is the first and the oldest surviving mosque in the United States. The photo was taken in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in October 1950.
National Register of Historic Places Application for the Moslem Temple, 1996
Description
In 1996, the Moslem Temple submitted a registration form for the National Register of Historic Places for the Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The application was accepted in March of 1996.
IPTV's "World War II Veteran: Mary Adams," 2008
Description
This is an interview that aired on Iowa Public Television in 2008, where World War II veteran Mary Adams described her experience enlisting in the Women's Army Corps (WAC). After six weeks of basic training, she worked in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, typed the orders for the men…
"The Life and Legacy of Jack Trice" Essay from The Annals of Iowa, 2010
Description
This Annals of Iowa essay is a written account by Dorothy Schwieder, a retired history professor from Iowa State University (ISU), that details the life of Jack Trice, Iowa State's first African-American athlete and one of the first African-American athletes to…
Anti-Miscegenation Laws in Iowa, between 1839 and 1959
Description
This document contains three different sources that all contain anti-miscegenation laws in Iowa and across the United States between 1839 and 1959. Anti-miscegenation laws are laws that enforce racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by…
"State v. Amana Society: 1906," 2018
Description
This document is the majority opinion on the 1906 ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court on the State v. Amana Societies case. Their decision upheld the rights of the Amana Societies to pursue economic gains for the purpose of supporting the members of the Society based on…
Iowa Supreme Court Ruling on Montgomery v. Ralph, 1839
Description
This document is the written judgment from Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Mason, who in 1839 ruled that a former slave named Ralph would be "... free by operation of law; it is therefore ordered and adjudged; that he be discharged from further duress and restraint…
Alexander Clark’s Petition to Allow Migration of "Free Negroes" into Iowa, 1855
Description
This document is a petition submitted by Alexander Clark, a prominent Iowa civil rights leader, to the Iowa General Assembly in 1855. The petition calls on the legislature to overturn an exclusionary law that prohibited the migration of free African Americans into the state…
U.S. Supreme Court Majority Opinion on Dred Scott v. John Sanford Case, March 6, 1857
Description
On March 6, 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of the U.S. Supreme Court shared the majority opinion in the ruling of Dred Scott v. John Sandford. The Supreme Court ruled that slaves were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from…
“Since it is my right, I would like to have it: Edna Griffin and the Katz Drug Store Desegregation Movement" Essay from The Annals of Iowa, 2008
Description
This 2008 Annals of Iowa essay written by Noah Lawrence details the effort of Edna Griffin to desegregate Katz Drug Store in Des Moines, Iowa.
IPTV's "Alexander Clark and the First Successful School Desegregation Case in the United States," 2012
Description
This video is an excerpt from program "Lost in History: Alexander Clark," which was produced for Iowa Public Television in 2012. The video explains the significance of Alexander Clark's lawsuit against the Muscatine, Iowa, school district for denying his daughter admission…
Additional Resources
- Varnum v. Brien
This document is the amicus brief filed in Varnum v. Brien, an Iowa Supreme Court Case that led to the unanimous decision by the Court that the state's limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples was unconstitutional. Because of this court case, Iowa became the third state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. - IPTV's "Lost in History: Alexander Clark" Video
This resource was created by Iowa Public Television and it tells the story of Iowa civil rights leader Alexander Clark. The video also highlights the effort being made in the past decade to bring Clark's story back to the forefront of Iowa's history in civil rights. - IPTV's "Ralph Montgomery:"
This webpage from Iowa Public Television summarizes the story of of the court case Ralph v. Montgomery. Ralph was born into slavery in Missouri, was able to make an agreement to work for his freedom in Iowa. When his former slave owner attempted to apprehend him in Iowa for not paying for his freedom the agreed among, the Iowa Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Ralph's favor that he was a free man. - IPTV's "Alexander Clark and an African-American’s Fight for Civil Rights:"
This online webpage about Alexander Clark for Iowa Public Television includes multiple videos about one of Iowa's most prominent civil rights leaders.
Iowa Core Social Studies Standards (6th-12th Grade)
Listed below are the Iowa Core Social Studies content anchor standards that are best reflected in this source set. The content standards applied to this set are elementary-age level and encompass the key disciplines that make up social studies for students 6th through 12th grade.
| No. | Standard Descriptions |
| SS.6.21. | Explain how and why perspective of people have changed throughout different historical eras. |
| SS.7.25. | Explain how and why perspectives on various contemporary issues have hanged over time. |
| SS.8.22. | Explain how and why prevailing social, cultural, and political perspectives changed during early American history. |
| SS.Soc.9-12.15. | Distinguish patterns and causes of stratification that lead to social inequalities, and their impact on both individuals and groups. |
| SS.Soc.9-12.16. | Examine and evaluate reactions to social inequalities, including conflict, and propose alternative responses. |
| SS.Gov.9-12.24 | Analyze how people uIdentify local and state issues in Iowa and evaluate formal or informal courses of action used to affect policy.se and challenge public policies through formal and informal means with attention to important judicial processes and landmark court cases. |
| SS.Gov.9-12.28. |
Identify local and state issues in Iowa and evaluate formal or informal courses of action used to affect policy. |
| SS.US.9-12.14. | Evaluate the impact of gender roles on economic, political, and social life in the U.S. |
| SS.US.9-12.15. | Assess the impact of individuals and reform movements on changes to civil rights and liberties. |
| SS.US.9-12.25. | Analyze how regional, racial, ethnic, and gender perspectives influenced American history and culture. |
| SS.US.9-12.27. | Evaluate Iowans or groups of Iowans who have influenced U.S. History. |