AP Gov Unit #3 Review

Civil Liberties

Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens

civil rights

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

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution

1st Amendment

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

2nd Amendment

Right to keep and bear arms

4th Amendment

Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures

5th Amendment

Criminal Proceedings; Due Process; Eminent Domain; Double Jeopardy; Protection from Self incrimination

6th Amendment

The right to a Speedy Trial by jury, representation by an attorney for an accused person

8th Amendment

No cruel or unusual punishment

14th Amendment

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

Equal Protection Clause

14th amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination

Free Exercise Clause

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

Due Process

fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement.

Prior Restraint Doctrine

Legal doctrine that gives individuals the right to publish without prior restraint- that is, without first submitting material to a government censor

right to privacy

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

separate but equal doctrine

the doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities

selective incorporation

The process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights are brought within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applied to state and local governments.

exclusionary rule

improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial

legal segregation

the separation by law of individuals based upon their racial identities

Affirmative Action

A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

1964; banned discrimination in public accommodations, prohibited discrimination in any federally assisted program, outlawed discrimination in most employment; enlarged federal powers to protect voting rights and to speed school desegregation; this and the voting rights act helped to give African-Americans equality on paper, and more federally-protected power so that social equality was a more realistic goal

Voting Rights Act of 1965

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

Letter from Birmingham Jail

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. after he had been arrested when he took part in a nonviolent march against segregation. He was disappointed more White Christians didn't speak out against racism.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Prohibited state-sponsored recitation of prayer in public schools by virtue of 1st Amendment's establishment clause and the 14th Amendment's due process clause; Warren Court's judicial activism.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

The right to freedom of religion prohibits governments from requiring students to attend public school past a certain age if doing so goes against their religion - in this case, this was brought by the Amish community in Wisconsin.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Public school students may wear armbands to class protesting against America's war in Vietnam when such display does not disrupt classes

Schenk v. United States (1919)

Speech may be punished if it creates a clear-and-present-danger test of illegal acts

New York Times v. US (1971)

Supreme Court case protecting the freedom of the press by allowing the New York Times to publish the "Pentagon Papers" despite the Justice Department's order to restrict it

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Ordered states to provide lawyers for those unable to afford them in criminal proceedings.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Abortion rights fall within the privacy implied in the 14th amendment

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is applicable to the states

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Title IX of Education Act of 1972

Prohibited gender discrimination in federally subsidized education programs

clear and present danger test

Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts.

Libel

A written defamation of a person's character, reputation, business, or property rights.

Defamation

Act of harming or ruining another's reputation

Obsecenity

A type of speech which is NOT protected by the 1st Amendment and which violates basic human decency

Civil Rights Movement

a social movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, in which people organized to demand equal rights for African Americans and other minorities. People worked together to change unfair laws. They gave speeches, marched in the streets, and participated in boycotts.