Legal History of the Civil Rights Movement

These flashcards are designed to help students review key vocabulary and concepts related to the legal history of the civil rights movement.

Lynching

A form of vigilante justice in which a mob executes someone without legal trial, often based on accusations, particularly against African Americans.

Habeas Corpus

A legal petition that challenges the legality of a person's detention, requiring the state to justify the detention.

Due Process Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment, it guarantees that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Moore v. Dempsey (1923)

A landmark Supreme Court case that expanded federal oversight of state criminal trials and established the right to fair legal counsel.

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded to fight for civil rights and justice for African Americans.

Scottsboro Boys

A group of nine African American teenagers accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931, leading to a controversial series of trials.

Reconstruction Era

The period after the Civil War aimed at rebuilding the United States, particularly the South, and addressing the rights of newly freed slaves.

Federal Anti-Lynching Legislation

Proposed laws that aimed to make lynching a federal crime in response to the lack of state-level prosecutions for lynching incidents.

Fifteenth Amendment

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits the denial of voting rights to citizens based on race.

Capital Case

A legal case in which the death penalty may be imposed.