Vocabulary Chapter 7

apprenticeship laws

laws that allowed minors to enter into a binding contract for an unpaid apprenticeship

black codes

Southern laws designed to restrict the rights of the newly freed black slaves

capital punishment

death penalty

castle doctrine

Texas law that allows the use of deadly force to defend your home, or "castle"

civil liberties

individual freedoms that limit the powers of the government and prevent unjust interference by government

civil rights

the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality

de facto segregation

a type of segregation that is result from human action or behavior but not required by law

equal protection clause

14th amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination

general election campaign

phase of a political campaign aimed at winning election to office

indigent defense

the requirement that governments provide legal counsel to those charged with serious crimes who cannot afford representation

Jim Crow Laws

Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites

peonage

system by which workers owe labor to pay their debts

plain sight doctrine

an exemption to the need for a search warrant based upon the evidence being in plain sight of the police; Texas's plain sight exemption is more restrictive to the police than U.S. federal court cases allow

Poll Tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

primary election

election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

probable cause

physical or observable evidence needed by police to obtain a search warrant and to conduct a search of a person or property

suffrage

the right to vote

white primary

primary election in which Southern states allowed only whites to vote.