Exam 2 Review: Rights, Liberties, Public Opinion, Media, and Elections

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Chapters 4 through 7 for Exam 2, including rights and liberties, public opinion, the media, and elections.

Civil Rights

Protections of citizens equality provided by government.

Civil Liberties

Individual rights and personal freedoms with which governments may not interfere.

Establishment Clause

A clause interpreted in three ways: 1) Gov should NOT establish a national church, 2) Gov should NOT take sides with any competing religious faiths, and 3) Gov should be a “wall of seperation” between church and state.

Free Exercise Clause

A constitutional protection stating that you are free to practice any religion you wish.

1st Amendment

Constitutional amendment protecting freedom of speech, religious, press, assembly, and petition.

Mapp V Ohio (1961)

A 4th Amendment case where police barged into Mapp's house looking for a hostage, did not find the hostage, but found illegal obscene pornographic materials and arrested Mapp; the court found this unconstitutional.

US v JONES (2012)

A 4th Amendment case ruling that GPS cannot be placed on your vehicle/person without a warrant.

Florida v JArdines (2013)

A 4th Amendment case establishing that drug dogs can only sniff outside your home with reasonable suspicion.

Maryland V King (2013)

A 4th Amendment case establishing that you can be DNA tested after arrest.

Riley V California (2014)

A 4th Amendment case establishing that police cannot search your cell phone upon arrest.

5th Amendment

Protects the rights of persons accused of crimes, including Miranda Rights, the right to remain silent, and the right to know what you are being accused of.

Grand Jury

A protected liberty under the 5th Amendment stating that you cannot be put on trial without an indictment by grand jury.

Self-Incrimination

The protected right under the 5th Amendment to not self incriminate, commonly referred to as pleading the 5th.

Eminent Domain

The power of the government to take private property for public use, subject to sufficient need and compensation under the 5th Amendment.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment establishing that no state shall deny to any person equal protection of the law.

Equal Protection Clause

A clause meant to provide legal rights to black men upon emancipation, which has expanded to include women, disabled, gay men, lesbians, and trans people.

Double Jeopardy

The principle that if you are found not guilty for a crime, you cannot be put on trial again for the same crime.

Exclusionary Rule

Rule stating that any evidence obtained illegally cannot be used against someone in a criminal trial.

Political Knowledge of Americans

Very low; Americans know less than they think.

Political Ideology

Political opinions based on a set of beliefs and values.

Beliefs

Unverifiable views on the nature of reality.

Values

The basic principles that guide public opinion.

Liberalism

A philosophy that emphasizes freedom and small government.

Conservatism

An ideology that supports the social and economic status quo and is suspicious of new political and economic arrangements.

Gender Gap

A distinct pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women.

Shortcuts and Cues

Information sources that people rely on, such as cues from friends, social media, relatives, religious leaders, or party leaders.

Social Desirability Effect

A polling effect where people respond with what they think the interviewer wants to hear rather than what they truly feel.

Random Digit Dialing

A polling technique that involves calling randomly generated phone numbers.

Fake News

Content that is not grounded in reality or not facts and is made for clicks and views.

Media Ownership

A media landscape where large global corporations own much of the media offline and online.

For-Profit News and Media

Commercial media companies that make their money from advertising.

Agenda-Setting

The power of media deciding which issues should be discussed and which are unimportant.

Framing

The power of the media to influence how issues and events are interpreted.

Equal Time Rule

A requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their message to the public.

TV Broadcast Media

A medium that influences most Americans via politically manipulative sound bites, with news becoming increasingly partisan.

Public Media

Media funded by the government that avoids advertisement and focuses on informing the public, though US government funding may have been cut off completely.

Newspapers

The oldest medium for distributing news, which differs today by being for-profit and very objective, in a context where journalism is dying.

Political Party

An organization of people whose sole purpose is to have influence over the government by electing its members into office.

External Mobilization

When a group of politicians outside the government organizes popular support to win government power.

2-Party System

A political system in which only two parties have a realistic chance to control the government.

Caucus

A closed political party meeting where each party meets together and chooses who will run.

Primary

Elections inside of each political party to select the party's candidate for the general election.

Electoral Realignment

The point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force.

Proportional Representation

A system where seats in congress are determined by the proportion of votes that every party gets.

Referendum

An electoral process where the government proposes a law or bill to the people so they can vote for it.

Super PAC's

An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation.