Unit 2 Gov. Vocab

Civil Liberties

individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference

Civil Rights

the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality

Establishment Clause

the clause in the First Amendment of the US Constitution that prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress

Free Exercise Clause

protects citizens' right to practice their religion as they please, so long as the practice does not run afoul of a "public morals" or a "compelling" governmental interest

Symbolic Speech

nonverbal, nonwritten forms of communication

Sedition

conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch

Defamation

the action of damaging the good reputation of someone

Slander

the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation

Libel

a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation

Alien

A person who is not a citizen of the country they live in

Resident Alien

A foreign-born United States resident who isn’t an American citizen but has legal permanent residence in U.S.

Non-resident Alien

An alien who has not passed the green card test or the substantial presence test and is staying for a short specific period on time

Enemy Alien

A foreigner resident in a country with which their country is at war

Illegal Alien

A foreigner who is living without official authorization in a country of which they are not a citizen

Refugee

a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Naturalization

The process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a lawful permanent resident after meeting the requirements established by Congress

Expatriation

The legal process of voluntarily giving up one’s citizenship

Denaturalization

The revocation of United States citizenship of a naturalized immigrant by the U.S. government.

Exclusionary Rule

A law that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial.

Self-incrimination

The intentional or unintentional act of providing information that will suggest your involvement in a crime, or expose you to criminal prosecution

Double Jeopardy

the prosecution of a person twice for the same offense.

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Caucus

meetings run by political parties that are held at the county, district, or precinct level (members of a party meet in one large room [open voting])

Closed Primary

When people secretly vote for who they want to represent their party but only party members can vote

Open Primary

When people secretly vote for who they want to represent their party but any one can vote, but for one party

Platform

The declared policy of a political party or group

Political Action

An action designed to attain a purpose by the use of political power or by activity in political channels

Political Action Committee (PAC)

(in the US) an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

Soft Money

a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections

Propaganda

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Interest Group

a group of people that seeks to influence public policy on the basis of a particular common interest or concern.

Lobbying

seeking to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.

Mass Media

the main means of mass communication, such as broadcasting, publishing, and the internet, considered collectively.

Prior Restraint

judicial suppression of material that would be published or broadcast, on the grounds that it is libelous or harmful.