GOV CHP 9

Citizen

A legally recognized member of a country with rights and responsibilities

Jus Soli

The right to citizenship by being born in a country’s territory

Jus Sanguinis

The right to citizenship through one’s parents, regardless of birthplace

Naturalization

The legal process through which a foreign-born person becomes a citizen.

Alien

A person living in a country where they are not a citizen

Expatriation

The voluntary or involuntary loss of citizenship

Denaturalization

The process of revoking a person’s citizenship, usually due to fraud

Deportation

The forced removal of a non-citizen from a country

Heterogeneous

A diverse mix of different races, cultures, or groups

Immigrants

People who move to another country to live permanently.

Reservations

Land set aside by the government for Native American tribes

Refugee

A person who flees their home country due to danger or persecution

Assimilation

The process of adapting to and adopting the culture of a different group.

Equal Protection

The constitutional principle that laws must treat all people equally.

Discriminate

To treat people unfairly based on characteristics like race or gender

Rational Basis Test

A standard for deciding if a law is reasonable and not discriminatory.

Strict Scrutiny Test

The highest standard of review for laws that affect fundamental rights or target certain groups.

Segregation

The forced separation of people based on race or other differences.

Jim Crow

A system of laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern U.S

Separate-but-Equal Doctrine

The idea that segregation was acceptable if facilities were equal, overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.

Integration

The process of bringing people of different races or groups together in public spaces

De Jure

Something that exists by law (e.g., legal segregation)

De Facto

Something that exists in practice, even if not legally sanctioned (e.g., residential segregation)

Earl Warren

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, known for civil rights decisions like Brown v. Board of Education.

Joseph P. Bradley

A Supreme Court Justice involved in key civil rights cases during Reconstruction.

William J. Brennan

A Supreme Court Justice known for expanding individual rights and liberties.

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to correct past discrimination by giving opportunities to historically marginalized groups.

MLK Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader who fought for racial equality through nonviolent protest.

Quota

A set number or percentage of spots reserved for certain groups, often in education or jobs.

Reverse Discrimination

When affirmative action policies are seen as unfairly disadvantaging majority groups.