American Government Chapters 9 and 10 Terms

14th Amendment

Declares that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens and guarantees equal protection of the laws, preventing government discrimination.

15th Amendment

Constitutional amendment establishing that states cannot deny any citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

19th Amendment

Constitutional amendment guaranteeing that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged on the basis of sex.

24th Amendment

Constitutional amendment banning poll taxes in federal elections, ensuring the right to vote cannot be denied based on the ability to pay.

26th Amendment

Constitutional amendment lowering the national minimum voting age to 18 years old.

Actions of Interest Groups

Strategies used by organized groups to influence policy, including organizing protests, publishing research, filing lawsuits, and lobbying lawmakers.

Affirmative Action

Policies designed to correct past discrimination against women and minority groups by improving their educational and economic opportunities.

Agenda Setting

The media's ability to influence which political topics command public attention by choosing which issues to cover or ignore.

Americans with Disabilities Act

A 1990 federal law banning discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment and requiring accessible public facilities.

Assimilation

The social process by which immigrants adopt the cultural norms and practices of the dominant society.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling declaring racially segregated public schools unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Federal law banning discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment and public accommodations.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Federal legislation, also known as the Fair Housing Act, banning racial and religious discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

DACA

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an executive policy granting temporary relief from deportation and work permits to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

De Facto Segregation

Racial segregation that occurs through social norms, economic factors, and voluntary residential patterns rather than by law.

De Jure Segregation

Racial segregation that is explicitly mandated and enforced by law.

Deportation

The formal, legal expulsion of a foreign national from a country.

Equal Pay Act

A 1963 federal law requiring equal pay for men and women performing equal work in the same establishment.

Equal Protection Clause

Fourteenth Amendment provision prohibiting states from denying equal legal protection to any person, forming the foundation for civil rights protections.

Factors Shaping Public Opinion

Socializing influences that form political views, including family, schools, mass media, peer groups, opinion leaders, and major historical events.

Fake News

Information that presents false or misleading content, often abusing issue framing and agenda setting to manipulate public perception.

Grassroots Pressures

An indirect lobbying method that mobilizes the general public to contact government officials and demand policy changes.

Interest Groups

Organized groups of individuals sharing common goals who attempt to influence public policy and government decision-making.

Issue Framing

The way a news organization or political actor presents a policy issue to highlight specific angles and influence audience interpretation.

Jus Sanguinis

The law of blood; a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined by the citizenship of one's parents.

Jus Soli

The law of the soil; a principle of nationality law establishing that citizenship is acquired by birth within a country's territorial boundaries.

Limitations of Polls

Constraints on public opinion polling accuracy caused by unrepresentative sampling, poor question design, respondent ignorance, or changing views.

Lobbying

Directly attempting to influence public officials and legislators to pass specific policies or regulations.

Mandate

A political claim by a winning candidate that their election victory indicates broad public approval for their entire platform.

Mass Media

Channels of communication—such as television, radio, print, and the internet—capable of reaching vast, nationwide audiences simultaneously.

Media Fragmentation

The division of the media audience into distinct segments due to the proliferation of specialized news outlets and digital channels.

Naturalization

The legal process through which a foreign citizen fulfills requirements established by Congress to become a citizen of the United States.

Opinion Leaders

Individuals or organizations whose views carry significant credibility and influence over the political attitudes of others.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld state-enforced segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Political Socialization

The complex process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs, values, and attitudes throughout their lives.

Public Affairs

The professional field focused on building relationships between organizations and government officials, legislators, or policymakers.

Public Opinion

The collective attitudes and beliefs held by a significant portion of the population regarding political and governmental issues.

Public Opinion Polls

Scientific surveys designed to measure public attitudes on specific issues using representative sampling and structured questioning.

Public Policy

The intentional course of action, rules, and regulations implemented by government institutions to address societal problems.

Purging

The administrative process of reviewing voter registration lists to remove ineligible or deceased individuals.

Rational Basis Test

The lowest standard of judicial review, requiring a law to be reasonably related to a legitimate government interest to be constitutional.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Supreme Court ruling establishing that racial quotas in admissions are unconstitutional, though race may be used as one factor among many in affirmative action.

Right to Petition

First Amendment guarantee protecting the right of citizens and interest groups to lobby and request government redress of grievances.

Scientific Polling

Public opinion measurement relying on random selection, representative samples, and neutral, unbiased questions to achieve accurate results.

Selective Exposure

The psychological tendency for individuals to seek out information and media outlets that align with and reinforce their existing beliefs.

Single-Issue Groups

Interest groups narrowly focused on advocating for or against one specific policy issue, such as gun rights or animal welfare.

Strict Scrutiny Test

The highest level of judicial review applied to laws involving race or fundamental rights, requiring government to prove a compelling interest.

Title IX

A federal law banning sex-based discrimination in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Transient

A person living in a state for a brief period without establishing legal residency, making them ineligible to vote in local elections there.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Landmark federal legislation banning literacy tests, prohibiting racial gerrymandering, and establishing federal oversight of election laws in discriminatory jurisdictions.