Chapter 9: Abernathy/Waples, American Government: Stories of a Nation, Presidential Election Update 1E

civil rights

protections from discrimination as a member of a particular group.

Thirteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment that outlaws slavery.

Fourteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment asserting that persons born in the United States are citizens and prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under the law.

equal protection clause

a clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires the states to treat all citizens alike with regard to application of the laws.

Fifteenth Amendment

constitutional amendment that gave African Americans the right to vote.

separate but equal

the doctrine that racial segregation was constitu tional so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal.

legal segregation

the separation by law of individuals based on their race.

de jure segregation

the separation of individuals based on their characteristics, such as race, by law.

de facto segregation

a separation of individuals based on characteris tics that arises not by law but because of other factors, such as residential housing patterns.

affirmative action

a policy designed to address the consequences of previous discrimination by providing special consideration to individuals based upon their characteristics, such as race or gender.

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 schools and public places and authorizing 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 uncooperative cities, counties, and states.

Nineteenth Amendment

a 1920 constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.

Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972

legisla tion prohibiting sex discrimination in schools receiving federal aid, which had the impact of increasing female participation in sports programs.