Tallahassee Community College Civic Literacy Exam Study Guide

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Simple: Separating children on the basis of race was unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (separate but equal)

McCullouch v. Maryland

1819 - The court decided that the Federal Government had the right and power to set up a Federal bank and that states did not have the power to tax the Federal Government.

Simple: National law is superior to state law

Gibbons v. Ogden

1824 - Forbade states from enacting any legislation that would interfere with Congress's right to regulate commerce among the separate states.

Simple: Regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

1988 - The First Amendment rights of student journalists are not violated when school officials prevent the publication of certain articles in the school newspaper.

Simple: School newspapers can be censored by teachers and administrators

Gideon v. Wainwright

1963 - The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires the states to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot afford lawyers themselves.

Simple: A person who cannot afford an attorney may have one appointed by the government

Marbury v. Madison

1803 - Established the principle of judicial review—the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional.

Simple: This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 - Upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races."

Simple: Separate but equal

Schenck v. United States

1919 - Freedom of speech protection afforded in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment could be restricted if the words spoken or printed represented to society a "clear and present danger."

Simple: Case involving limits on free speech. Established the "clear and present danger" principle.

US v. Nixon

1974 - A unanimous Court concluded that neither the separation of powers nor a generalized need for confidential communications supported an absolute privilege.

Simple: Holds that executive privilege does not extend to criminal cases

District of Columbia v. Heller

2008 - Court found a District of Columbia law strictly regulating gun ownership to be unconstitutional.

Simple: Individuals have a right to own and possess firearms

Roe v. Wade

1973 - A case in which the Court struck down several Texas laws that criminalized abortion

Simple: Legalized abortion

Northwest Ordinance

Enacted in 1787, it is considered one of the most significant achievements of the Articles of Confederation. It established a system for setting up governments in the western territories so they could eventually join the Union on an equal footing with the original 13 states

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Contains four parts:
1) Raised the residence requirement for American citizenship from 5 to 14 years.

2) Alien Act - Gave the President the power in peacetime to order any alien out of the country.

3) Alien Enemies Act - permitted the President in wartime to jail aliens when he wanted to.

4) The Sedition Act - Key clause provided fines and jail penalties for anyone guilty of sedition (conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch).

Judiciary Act of 1789

A law passed by the first Congress to establish the federal court system.

Land Act of 1800

This law was passed to make it easier for people to buy land in the Northwest Territory.

Judiciary Act of 1801

Increased the number of federal judges by 16

Indian Removal Act

Law passed in 1830 that forced many Native American nations to move west of the Mississippi River

Missouri Compromise

Compromise over the issue of slavery in Missouri. It was decided Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state and all states North of the 36th parallel were free states and all South were slave states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether to allow slavery

Compromise of 1850

Agreement designed to ease tensions caused by the expansion of slavery into western territories

Homestead Act

1862 law that gave 160 acres of land to citizens willing to live on and cultivate it for five years

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Law that established federal guarantees of civil rights for all citizens

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the United States

Selective Service Act

Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft

Espionage Act

This law, passed after the United States entered WWI, imposed sentences of up to twenty years on anyone found guilty of aiding the enemy, obstructing recruitment of soldiers, or encouraging disloyalty. It allowed the postmaster general to remove from the mail any materials that incited treason or insurrection.

Sedition Act

1918 law that made it illegal to criticize the government

New Deal Legislation

Policies for economic improvement introduced in 1933 by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt as a result of the Great Depression, which promised to put Americans back to work.

Neutrality Acts

Originally designed to avoid American involvement in World War II by preventing loans to those countries taking part in the conflict; they were later modified in 1939 to allow aid to Great Britain and other Allied nations.

Lend Lease Act

1941 law that authorized the president to aid any nation whose defense he believed was vital to American security

Great Society Legislation

Included laws that upheld civil rights, public broadcasting, medicare, medicaid, environmental protection, aid to education, and his war on poverty

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

This gave the president authority to take "all neccessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States."

Affordable Care Act

Law passed in 2010 to expand access to insurance, address cost reduction and affordability, improve the quality of healthcare, and introduce the Patient's Bill of Rights

Monroe Doctrine

1823 - Declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S.

National Bank Veto

President Jackson vetoed renewal of National Bank.

Adams-Onis Treaty

Agreement in which Spain gave up all of Florida to the United States

Lincoln's Suspension of Habeas Corpus

President Lincoln's use of Emergency powers to save the United States Capitol Washington, D.C. he suspended the right of accused spies in the Capitol to go before a judge and be informed of the charges against them and bail set.

Emancipation Proclamation

Proclamation issued by Lincoln, freeing all slaves in areas still at war with the Union.

Gentleman's Agreement of 1907

An informal agreement between President Teddy Roosevelt and the government of Japan whereby the United States of America would not impose restrictions on Japanese immigration, and Japan would not allow further emigration to the U.S.

New Deal advocacy

A series of reforms enacted by the Franklin Roosevelt administration between 1933 and 1942 with the goal of ending the Great Depression.

Executive Order 9066

112,000 Japanese-Americans forced into camps causing loss of homes and businesses

Executive Order 9981

Establishes equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services for people of all race, religions, or national origins

Executive Order 10730

An executive order issued by President Eisenhower in 1957 forcing the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

Executive Orders 10925/11256

Required government contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin

Great Society advocacy

A domestic program in the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson that instituted federally sponsored social welfare programs

Use of war powers at various times

Limits the Presidents authority to wage war

Article 1

Article of the Constitution that defines the Legislative Branch, it's powers, members, and workings.

Article 2

Article of the Constitution that defines the Executive Branch, it's powers, duties, and means of removal.

Article 3

Article of the Constitution that sets up the Judicial Branch and defines treason.

Article 4

Article of the Constitution that regulates the states' powers, and their interaction with the National government.

Article 5

Amendment Process

Article 6

Article of the Constitution that sets the status of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, to which leaders must be loyal.

Article 7

Ratification of the Constitution

1st Amendment

Freedom of speech

2nd Amendment

Right to bear arms

3rd Amendment

No quartering of soldiers

4th Amendment

Protection against Unreasonable Search and Seizure

5th Amendment

Right to remain silent

6th Amendment

Right to a speedy trial

7th Amendment

Right to a trial by jury in civil cases

8th Amendment

No cruel or unusual punishment

9th Amendment

Citizens entitled to rights not listed in the Constitution

10th Amendment

Powers not given to federal government go to people and States

13th Amendment

Abolition of slavery

14th Amendment

Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws

15th Amendment

States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

21st Amendment

Repeal of Prohibition

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to two terms.