Gov 9-12

civil rights

protections of government for individuals from discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, sex, and other characteristics, ensuring equal treatment under the law

13th amendment

prohibited slavery

14th amendment

granted citizenship to persons born in the United States, due process clause, equal protection clause

equal protection clause

has been used to protect civil rights of Americans from discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, gender, and other characteristics

15th amendment

granted the right to vote to male African Americans

legal segregation

 separation by law of individuals based on race

de jure segregation

challenged by Marshall and the NAACP

de facto segregation

separation of individuals based on characteristics that arise not by law but because of other factors, such as residential housing patterns

social movement

large groups of citizens organizing for political change

civil disobedience

 the intentional refusal to obey a law to call attention to its injustice

Civil Rights Act of 1964

legislation outlawing racial segregation in public places and authorized the attorney general to sue individual school districts that failed to desegregate

Voting Rights Act of 1965

legislation outlawing literacy tests and authorizing the Justice Department to send federal officers to register voters in areas with a history of voter discrimination

19th amendment

Gave women the right to vote

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in schools receiving federal aid

strict scrutiny

a government has to show a “compelling interest” to justify unequal treatment

rational basis standard

differential treatment must be shown to be reasonable and not arbitrary

political culture

a dominant set of beliefs, customs, and traditions that define the relationship between citizens and government

equality of opportunity

giving people an equal chance to succeed

rule of law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

political solcialization

the process by which our political view develop

generational effect

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views

life-cycle effect

People change as they grow older because of age-specific experiences and thus people are likely to hold age-specific attitudes.

outsourcing

A decision by a corporation to turn over much of the responsibility for production to independent suppliers.

public opinion

the sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

focus group

a small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

focus group

takes into account a representative sample of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

sample

a group of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion

random selection

a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over- or underrepresent any group of the population

representative sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

sampling error

the margin of error in a poll, which is usually calculated to plus or minus three percentage points

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people who are coming into an event

exit poll

survey conducted following an event or at a polling place after individuals have voted, asking who or what individuals voted for and why

benchmark polls

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues matter to voters.

tracking poll

determine level of support for a candidate or issue over the length of a campaign

random digit dialing

uses telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select respondents

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

right

 something guaranteed, that the government cannot take away

privilege

 something a person may obtain or receive, but that government can take away

political ideology

a set of beliefs about the desired goals and outcomes of a process of governance

party identification

an individual’s attachment to a political party

conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy

liberalism

an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of businesses and of the economy

Libertarisnism

an ideology favoring very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty

Laissez-faire

economic policy in which governments intrude as little as possible in the economic transactions between citizens and businesses

command and control economy

economic policy in which government dictates much of nation’s economic activity, including the amount of production and price for goods

mixed economy

economic policy in which many economic conditions are left to individuals and businesses, with the government regulating economic activity

gross domestic product

the total value of goods and services produced by an economy

unemployment rate

the percentage of people actively looking for work who cannot find jobs

inflation

the rise in the prices of goods and services

consumer price index

the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living

Fiscal Policy

 government use of taxes and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy

federal reserve system

a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy

medicare

a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and the disabled

medicaid

 a federal program that provides health care for the poor