Unit 8: Civil Rights and Constitutional Freedoms

Pure Speech

verbal expression by a person or group

Symbolic Speech

conduct that expresses an idea

slander

false statements that are spoken about a person

libel

false statements that are written about a person

Seditious Speech

urging or advocating the overethrow of the government

Censorship

the government prohibits the use of publications or products

Prior Restraint

censorship of information before it is published

Establishment Clause

cannot favor one religion over the other

Free Exercise Clause

protects the rights of people to worship as they chose

Jim Crow Laws

laws that required racial sergregation in places like schools, hotels, and public transportatiom

Equal Protection Clause

prohibits the government from discriminating between different groups of people

Brown v. Board of Education

oulawed racial segregation in public schools

Affirmative Action

policies that give preference to women and minorities for jobs, benefits and school admission

Civil Rights Act of 1964

banned sergregation of all public accommodations and facilities

Rosa Parks

participated in a protest against bus segregation

Martin Luther King Jr.

civil rights activist and Baptist minister

Voting Rights Act of 1965

banned literacy tests for voting and allowed the Federal government to oversee elections

24th Amendment

prohibiting of all poll taxes

14th Amendment

guarantees equal protection under the law

15th Amendment

right to vote cannot be denied due to race or religion