Which speech argued civil rights law violates limited government and states' rights?

• A. Lyndon B. Johnson - Great Society Speech (1964)
• B. Barry Goldwater - Speech Against Civil Rights Act (1964)
• C. FDR - Commonwealth Club Address (1932)
• D. Alexis de Tocqueville - Democracy in America

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how debates over federal power versus states’ rights relate to civil rights legislation. Barry Goldwater’s 1964 speech against the Civil Rights Act argued that such federal action overstepped constitutional boundaries, expanding the national government into areas that should be reserved for states. He framed civil rights law as an overreach that infringed on states’ sovereignty and, by extension, individual liberty and local control. This is why it’s the best answer: it directly presents the position that civil rights legislation could violate a limited-government framework and intrude on states’ rights.

The other options take different stances. The Great Society speech by Lyndon Johnson advocates expanding federal power to promote civil rights and social programs. FDR’s Commonwealth Club Address addresses broad economic reform and national power in the 1930s, not specifically about civil rights law and federalism. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America analyzes American society and government in the 19th century, not a stance on 1960s civil rights legislation.