AP US GOV Unit 3

This flashcard set includes key legal cases, constitutional amendments, and concepts related to civil rights and liberties in American government.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage.

Civil Liberties

Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court upheld national government power and denied a state's right to tax the federal bank using the supremacy clause.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Held that the Commerce clause does not give Congress the power to regulate guns near state-operated schools.

Engle v. Vitale (1962)

Prohibited prayer in public schools by the First Amendment.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Ruled that Wisconsin could not require Amish parents to send their children to public school beyond the eighth grade due to religious beliefs.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Established that speech creating a 'clear and present danger' is not protected by the First Amendment.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Guaranteed a student's right to protest by wearing armbands.

New York Times v. United States

Protected freedom of the press when the government tried to censor information during a war.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is applicable to the states.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overruled Plessy v. Ferguson; racial segregation violates the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Legalized segregation based on the principle of 'separate but equal'.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Extended the right of counsel to defendants in all state and federal criminal trials.

1st Amendment

Guarantees freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

2nd Amendment

Establishes the right to bear arms.

3rd Amendment

Prohibits the quartering of soldiers.

4th Amendment

Protects against unreasonable search and seizure.

5th Amendment

Ensures the right to remain silent and protects against double jeopardy.

6th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a speedy trial and representation by an attorney.

7th Amendment

Establishes the right to a trial by jury in civil cases.

8th Amendment

Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.

9th Amendment

Affirms that citizens are entitled to rights not listed in the Constitution.

10th Amendment

Reserves powers to the states.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Declares all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and guarantees equal protection of the laws.

15th Amendment

Prohibits denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

24th Amendment

Abolished poll taxes.

Title IX

Bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds.

Establishment Clause

Prohibits the government from establishing an official religion.

Free Exercise Clause

Prevents government interference with the practice of religion.

Selective incorporation

Process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights are applied to state and local governments via the 14th Amendment.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Letters by MLK advocating non-violent protest against segregation.

De facto segregation

Segregation that occurs in practice, but not by law.

De jure segregation

Segregation that is enforced by law.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws designed to enforce segregation between blacks and whites.

Due Process Clause

Protects individuals from being deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Slander

Spoken defamation of character.

Libel

Written defamation of character.

Separate but equal

Legal principle upheld in Plessy v. Ferguson allowing segregation.