American Constitutional History Midterm

The Constitution

The document that replaced the Articles of Confederation and established the framework for the U.S. government, consisting of 4,069 words and 27 amendments.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to examine the constitutionality of legislative acts and executive decisions.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution that guarantee individual rights and liberties.

Originalism/Textualism

A theory of constitutional interpretation asserting that the meaning of the Constitution is fixed at the time of its adoption.

Living Constitutionalism

A theory that the Constitution's meaning can evolve and adapt as society changes.

Separation of Powers

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Checks and Balances

A system that ensures that no one branch of government becomes too powerful by providing each branch with powers to check the others.

Supremacy Clause

The constitutional provision that federal law takes precedence over state law.

14th Amendment

An amendment that grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and provides equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

An amendment that prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race.

Stare Decisis

The doctrine that courts should follow precedents set in previous cases.

Cohens v. Virginia (1821)

A case reaffirming federal appellate jurisdiction over state courts on federal questions.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A landmark case interpreting the Commerce Clause to include navigation and interstate commerce beyond just goods.

Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842)

A case in which the Supreme Court invalidated Pennsylvania's law blocking the return of fugitive slaves.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

The Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans could not be U.S. citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

The landmark Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

A case in which the Supreme Court struck down a New York law limiting bakery workers' hours, emphasizing freedom of contract.

Ex Parte Milligan (1866)

A Supreme Court ruling that declared military trials for civilians unconstitutional when civilian courts are open.

Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)

A Supreme Court case that limited presidential power and declared Truman's seizure of steel mills unconstitutional.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

The Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Civil Rights Cases (1883)

Cases in which the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional as it only prohibited state action.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

A Supreme Court ruling that struck down portions of the Voting Rights Act, arguing that they were based on outdated conditions.

Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)

The Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Myers v. U.S. (1926)

A case that affirmed the President's authority to remove executive subordinates without Senate approval.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer (1968)

A case that ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 reaches purely private racial discrimination in housing.

Habeas Corpus

The right to not be imprisoned without being charged with a crime, an important legal safeguard.

Substantive Due Process

A principle that protects certain fundamental rights from government interference.

Nullification

The theory that states can invalidate federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

Federal Supremacy

The principle that federal law takes precedence over state laws.

Electoral College

The body that formally elects the President and Vice President of the United States.