APGov Unit 3 Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Government Unit 4, covering civil liberties and civil rights.

Affirmative action

A policy to help minority groups get more jobs and educational opportunities.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, listing important freedoms.

Civil liberties

Basic rights and freedoms that protect people from government actions.

Civil rights

Rights that protect people from discrimination.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark civil rights legislation in the United States.

Civil Rights movement

A social movement to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans.

Clear and present danger doctrine

A legal doctrine that restricts freedom of speech when it poses an immediate threat.

Compelling state interest

A legal standard used to determine if a state's interest justifies overriding constitutional rights.

Cruel and unusual punishment

Punishment prohibited by the Eighth Amendment due to its barbarity or disproportion to the crime.

De facto segregation

Segregation that exists in practice, even if not required by law.

De jure segregation

Segregation that is required by law.

Death penalty

Capital punishment; a legal punishment in the United States.

Defamation

The act of harming the reputation of another; can be libel or slander.

Double jeopardy

Being tried twice for the same crime, which is prohibited by the Fifth Amendment.

Due process clause

Constitutional guarantee that the government will not deprive anyone of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Eminent domain

The right of the government to take private property for public use, with compensation to the owner.

Equal protection clause

Part of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits states from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Establishment clause

Clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a religion.

Exclusionary rule

A rule that prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used in a trial.

Free exercise clause

Clause in the First Amendment that guarantees individuals the right to practice their religion freely.

Grand jury

A group of citizens that decides whether there is sufficient evidence to indict someone for a crime.

Grandfather clause

A provision that exempted certain people from voting requirements, often used to disenfranchise African Americans.

Hate speech

Speech that attacks a person or group based on attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Impartial jury

A jury that is unbiased and able to render a fair verdict based on the evidence presented.

Indictment

A formal accusation by a grand jury that there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

Injunction

A court order that requires someone to do or refrain from doing a specific act.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

Libel

A published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation.

Majority-minority districting

Drawing electoral district lines to give a minority group a majority in the district.

Miranda rule/warnings

Requirement that suspects be informed of their constitutional rights before being interrogated.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

An organization that fights for women's rights.

Obscenity

Material that is considered offensive or lewd by community standards and has no redeeming social value; not protected by the First Amendment.

USA PATRIOT Act of 2001

A law passed after 9/11 that expanded the government's surveillance powers.

Poll tax

A tax required to vote, which was used to disenfranchise African Americans.

Prior restraint

Government censorship of material before it is published or broadcast.

Pro-choice movement

A movement advocating for the legal right to abortion.

Pro-life movement

A movement opposing abortion.

Public safety exception

An exception to the Miranda rule that allows police to question a suspect without Miranda warnings if there is an immediate threat to public safety.

Racial classification

Categorizing people based on race, often subject to strict scrutiny.

Racial gerrymandering

Drawing electoral district lines to dilute the voting power of a racial group.

Right to privacy

Not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but implied by several amendments; protects personal information and decisions.

Search warrant

A legal document authorizing law enforcement to search a specific location.

Secular

Not related to religion or religious beliefs.

Selective incorporation

The process by which the Supreme Court applies the Bill of Rights to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

Separate but equal doctrine

A legal doctrine that allowed segregation as long as the facilities provided to each race were equal; overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.

Slander

Spoken defamation.

Speedy and public trial

The right to a quick and open trial, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.

Strict scrutiny

A high level of judicial review used to determine if a law is constitutional.

Symbolic speech

Nonverbal communication that is protected under the First Amendment.

Time, place, and manner regulations

Government restrictions on speech based on its time, place, or manner; must be content-neutral.

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972

Prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Unreasonable search and seizure

Searches and seizures conducted without a warrant or probable cause, prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.

USA Freedom Act of 2015

A law that reauthorized and modified some provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

Women's Rights movement

A social movement advocating for women's equality.