Unit Assessment Study Guide: Rights and Levers of Power

Comprehensive vocabulary and concept flashcards covering human rights, the Bill of Rights, key civil rights figures, and constitutional levers of power.

Human Rights

Rights that should be protected for everyone, as part of being a human, everywhere in the world.

Civil Rights

Rights that are given by law to members of a particular community.

Free Speech

The right to give opinions and ideas without being imprisoned.

Free Religion

The right to worship any religion you believe in.

Free Press

The right for news media to express opinions that criticize the government and other organizations.

Assembly

The right to gather together with other people.

Petition

The right to ask the government to do something or change something without fear of punishment.

Due Process

The right to go through fair legal processes before being punished or put in prison by the government.

Unfair Search and Seizure

A right not to be arrested or have your things searched or taken without reason.

Equal protection

All individuals, regardless of race, gender, religion, etc, are protected under the law.

Amendment

A change made to legal documents, like a constitution.

Ratify

To sign or give formal consent to make it official.

Repeal

The process by which law is officially ended.

Ordinance

A type of legislation passed by a city or town.

Filibuster

A process in the senate that allows a small number of senators to delay or block legislation from being passed.

Federalism

Power is divided between a national (federal) government and smaller local governments (states).

Judicial Review

The process by which the supreme court strikes down/gets rid of a law or policy that it believes violates/goes against the constitution.

Civil Case

Cases involving conflicts between people or between people and the government.

Criminal Case

Cases involving someone who is accused of committing a crime.

Appeal

Ask for a case to be reconsidered by a higher court.

$1st$ Amendment

Includes all five freedoms: Speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.

$2nd$ Amendment

The right to keep and bear weapons.

$3rd$ Amendment

The government cannot force you to let soldiers into your home.

$4th$ Amendment

No unreasonable searches of your property without a search warrant.

$5th$ Amendment

Rights including no double jeopardy, pleading the fifth, and due process.

$6th$ Amendment

Includes the right to an impartial jury, right to an attorney, and a speedy trial.

$8th$ Amendment

No cruel and unusual punishments.

Prince Hall

A prominent black community leader in Boston and early abolitionist who petitioned for the end of slavery in Massachusetts using natural rights language.

Frederick Douglass

A former slave and famous abolitionist who gave a speech criticizing the $4th$ of July as hypocritical.

Ida B Wells

A former slave and pioneering journalist who led the fight against racial injustice by interviewing witnesses of lynching in the South.

Bayard Rustin

A key strategist and civil rights activist who organized the $1963$ March on Washington and studied non-violent techniques of Gandhi.

The March on Washington

A historic $1963$ civil rights rally designed to force the government to act on civil rights and voting rights.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

A landmark $1990$ law that extended civil rights protections to disabled Americans, ensuring equal opportunity in public life.

McCullugh Vs Maryland

The court case that established the constitutionality of the Elastic Clause.

$14th$ Amendment

Grants citizenship to all born or naturalized, provides Due Process of law, and ensures Equal Protection to all citizens.

The Amendment Process

Requires a $\frac{2}{3}$ majority in Congress and $38$ states.

Non-violent Protests

A method of activism (e.g., boycotts, sit-ins, marches) designed to expose injustice and achieve social change without violence.

Tinker vs. Des Moines

A case involving students wearing armbands that established they do not shed constitutional rights at school and created the substantial disruption test.

Establishment Clause

A first amendment protection that prevents the government from creating a national religion and forcing citizens to follow it.

Free Exercise Clause

A first amendment protection that protects the right of citizens to follow any religion they choose.

Establishment of Slavery

Human beings taken from Africa who were held as the property of another person; resisted through abolition, escape, and direct resistance.

Jim Crow

A term for racist laws that created systemic inequality, affecting schools, public accommodations, and voting rights.

Necessary and Proper clause

Also known as the elastic clause, it allows Congress to stretch its powers to meet modern needs not specifically listed in the Constitution.

Federal Courts

Handle cases of national significance involving federal laws, the U.S. Constitution, or disputes between citizens of different states.

State Courts

Resolve everyday legal issues such as family matters, accidents, traffic violations, and local criminal cases.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark case where Chief Justice John Marshall asserted that the Constitution is the supreme law, establishing the power of Judicial Review.

$13th$ Amendment

Formally abolished slavery throughout the United States.

$15th$ Amendment

Protected the voting rights of former slaves.