APGOV chapter 3

Civil Liberties

Constitutionally protected freedoms from government interference (e.g., speech, religion).

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights.

Wall of Separation

The divide between church and state, referenced by Thomas Jefferson.

Establishment Clause

Prevents the government from establishing an official religion.

Free Exercise Clause

Ensures individuals can freely practice religion.

Symbolic Speech

Nonverbal actions expressing viewpoints.

Obscene Speech

Speech lacking serious value; not protected by law.

Defamatory Speech

False statements harming reputation; libel (written) and slander (spoken).

Free Press

Protects the right to publish without government censorship.

Libel

False written statements that damage a person's reputation.

Prior Restraint

Government action preventing publication; generally considered unconstitutional.

Second Amendment

Right to bear arms.

Eighth Amendment

Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.

Fourth Amendment

Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Selective Incorporation

Applying Bill of Rights protections to states via the Fourteenth Amendment.

Due Process

Fair legal treatment including procedural and substantive elements.

5th Amendment

Protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy.

Exclusionary Rule

Prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in court.

Self-Incrimination

Protection from being forced to testify against oneself.

Substantive Due Process

Limits government power to interfere with fundamental rights.

NAACP

Civil rights organization fighting racial injustice.

Nineteenth Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

Equal Pay Act

Mandated equal pay for equal work.

Affirmative Action

Policies aimed at increasing diversity in education and employment.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination in public and private sectors.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Eliminated barriers to voting, such as literacy tests.

Freedom-of-choice Plans

School desegregation efforts placing burden on Black students.

Majority-Minority Districts

Electoral districts ensuring minority representation.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Dr. King's defense of civil disobedience and equality.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to counsel in state courts.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

School prayer violated the Establishment Clause.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Protected students' symbolic speech.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Declared that school segregation is unconstitutional.