Studied by 9 people
civil liberties
limitations on the power of government, designed to ensure personal freedoms
civil rights
guarantees of equal treatment by government authorities
common-law right
a right of the people rooted in legal tradition and past court rulings, rather than the Constitution
conscientious objector
a person who claims the right to refuse to perform military service on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion
economic liberty
the right of individuals to obtain, use, and trade things of value for their own benefit
eminent domain
the power of government to take or use property for a public purpose after compensating its owner; also known as the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment
undue burden test
a means of deciding whether a law that makes it harder for women to seek abortions is constitutional
affirmative action
the use of programs and policies designed to assist groups that have historically been subject to discrimination
American Indian Movement (AIM)
the Native American civil rights group responsible for the occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973
Chicano
a term adopted by some Mexican American civil rights activists to describe themselves and those like them
civil disobedience
an action taken in violation of the letter of the law to demonstrate that the law is unjust
coverture
a legal status of married women in which their separate legal identities were erased
de facto segregation
segregation that results from the private choices of individuals
de jure segregation
segregation that results from government discrimination
direct action
civil rights campaigns that directly confronted segregationist practices through public demonstrations
disenfranchisement
the revocation of someone’s right to vote
equal protection clause
a provision of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires the states to treat all residents equally under the law
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
the proposed amendment to the Constitution that would have prohibited all discrimination based on sex
glass ceiling
an invisible barrier caused by discrimination that prevents women from rising to the highest levels of an organization—including corporations, governments, academic institutions, and religious organizations
hate crime
harassment, bullying, or other criminal acts directed against someone because of bias against that person’s sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, or disability
Title IX
the section of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of sex
bandwagon effect
increased media coverage of candidates who poll high
Bradley effect
the difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist
exit poll
an election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place
heuristics
shortcuts or rules of thumb for decision making
modern conservatism
a political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy
modern liberalism
a political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality
political culture
the prevailing political attitudes and beliefs within a society or region
political elite
a political opinion leader who alerts the public to changes or problems
public opinion
a collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic, person, or event
random sample
a limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen
representative sample
a group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest
straw poll
an informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population
caucus
a form of candidate nomination that occurs in a town-hall style format rather than a day-long election; usually reserved for presidential elections
closed primary
an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates
coattail effect
the result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from the same party win their own elections
platform
the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates
political action committees (PACs)
organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics
shadow campaign
a campaign run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination of the candidate
winner-take-all system
all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state
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