AP Gov 4+5 vocab

civil liberties

The legal constitutional protections against government. Although our civil liberties are formally set down in the Bill of Rights, the courts, police, and legislatures define their meaning.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which defines such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantees defendants' rights.

First Amendment

The constitutional amendment that establishes the four great liberties

Fourteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted after the Civil War that states, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any citizen of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection of the laws," see also due process clause.

due process clause

Part of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing that persons cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property by the United States or state governments without due process of law. See also Gitlow v. New York.

incorporation doctrine

The legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

establishment clause

Part of the First Amendment stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

free exercise clause

A First Amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion.

prior restraint

A government preventing material from being published. This is a common method of limiting the press in some nations, but is usually unconstitutional in the United States, according to the First Amendment and as confirmed in the 1931 Supreme Court case of Near v. Minnesota.

symbolic speech

Nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some symbolic free speech protection under the First Amendment.

commercial speech

Communication in the form of advertising. It can be restricted more than any other type of speech but has been receiving increased protection from the Supreme Court.

unreasonable searches and seizures

Obtaining evidence in a haphazard or random manner, a practice prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. Probably cause and/or search warrant are required for a legal and proper search and what police are searching for.

search warrant

a written authorization from a court specifying the area to be searched and what the police are searching for

exclusionary rule

Requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial.

Fifth Amendment

the constitutional amendment designed to protect the rights of persons accused of crimes, including protection against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and punishment without the due process of law.

self-incrimination

The situation occurring when an individual accused of a crime is compelled to be a witness against himself or herself in court. (Plead the Fifth)

Sixth Amendment

the constitutional amendment designed to protect individuals accused of crimes. It includes the right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to a speedy and public trial.

plea bargaining

a bargain struck between the defendant's lawyer and the prosecutor to the effect that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser crime (or fewer crimes) in exchange for the state's promise not to prosecute the defendant for a more serious (or additional) crime.

Eighth Amendment

freedom from excessive bail. freedom from excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment.

cruel and unusual punishment

punishment prohibited by the 8th amendment to the U.S. constitution

right to privacy

The right to a private personal life free from the intrusion of government.

probable cause

The situation occurring when the police have reason to believe that a person should be arrested. In making the arrest, people are allowed legally to search for and seize incriminating evidence.

Civil Rights

Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by government officials or individuals.

Fourteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted after the Civil War that states, "no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

Equal Protection of the Laws

Part of the Fourteenth Amendment emphasizing that the laws must provide equivalent "protection" to all people.

Thirteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified after the Civil War that forbade slavery and involuntary servitude.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

The law that made racial discrimination against any group in hotels, motels, and restaurants illegal and forbade many forms of job discrimination.

Suffrage

The legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the Fifteenth Amendment, to women by the Nineteenth Amendment, and to People over the age of 18 by the Twenty-sixth Amendment.

Fifteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1870 to extend suffrage to African Americans.

Poll Taxes

Small taxes levied on the right to vote that often fell due at a time of year when poor African American sharecroppers had the least cash on hand. This method was used by most southern states to exclude African Americans from voting. Poll taxes were declared void by the Twenty-fourth Amendment in 1964.

White Primary

One of the means used to discourage African American voting that permitted political parties in the heavily Democratic South to exclude African Americans from primary elections, thus depriving them of a voice in the real contests. The Supreme Court declared this unconstitutional in 1944.

Twenty-fourth Amendment

The constitutional amendment passed in 1964 that declared poll taxes void in federal elections.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African American suffrage. Under the law, hundreds of thousands of African Americans were registered, and the number of African American elected officials increased dramatically.

Nineteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.

Equal Rights Amendment

A constitutional amendment originally introduced in Congress in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Despite public support, the amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990

A law passed in 1990 that requires employers and public facilities to make "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment.

Affirmative Action

A policy designed to give special attention to or compensatory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group