AP Government Civil Liberties & Civil Rights Study Guide

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering essential vocabulary and key concepts in Civil Liberties and Civil Rights from AP Government.

Establishment Clause

Prohibits the government from establishing an official religion.

Free Exercise Clause

Protects individuals' rights to practice their religion freely, without government interference.

Due Process Clause

Guarantees that legal proceedings will be fair and that individuals will be given notice and an opportunity to be heard.

Equal Protection Clause

Part of the 14th Amendment that requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all persons.

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; enforces laws against workplace discrimination.

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act; prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

IDEA

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; ensures students with disabilities are provided a free appropriate public education.

New York Times v. US

A Supreme Court case that ruled against prior restraint, affirming the press's right to publish without government restriction.

Prior restraint

Censorship imposed before a publication; generally unconstitutional.

Symbolic Speech

Nonverbal communication, such as gestures, clothing, and actions, expressing an idea.

Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court case that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Poll Tax

A tax imposed as a prerequisite for voting, abolished by the 24th Amendment.

Literacy Test

Assessments used to disenfranchise voters, particularly African Americans, that test reading and writing skills.

Selective Incorporation

The process by which certain rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are applied to the states via the 14th Amendment.

Engel v. Vitale

Supreme Court ruling that a New York State law requiring public schools to recite a short, voluntary prayer violated the Establishment Clause.

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Supreme Court case that held that religious beliefs outweighed state interests in compelling school attendance.

Commerce Clause

Part of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Supreme Court decision that mandated provision of counsel to defendants in criminal cases who cannot afford an attorney.

Miranda v. Arizona

Supreme Court ruling that established the Miranda rights, requiring police to inform suspects of their rights.

Exclusionary Rule

Legal principle that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Established the federal judiciary system of the United States.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark piece of legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Title IX of the Education Act

Prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Voting Rights Act 1965

Legislation aimed at overcoming legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

Black Codes/Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.

De jure and De Facto Discrimination

De jure discrimination is enforced by law; de facto discrimination occurs through social or economic factors.

McDonald v. Chicago

Supreme Court case extending the Second Amendment's right to bear arms to the states through the 14th Amendment.

Elastic Clause

Also known as the Necessary and Proper Clause, it allows Congress to make laws it needs to carry out its enumerated powers.

Double Jeopardy

The legal principle that a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice.

Grand jury vs. petite jury

A grand jury determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial; a petite jury (trial jury) determines the verdict in a case.

Shaw v. Reno / Baker v. Carr

Supreme Court cases related to redistricting and racial gerrymandering.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life.

Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

Speech Plus

Expression that combines speech with action or conduct, often protected under the First Amendment.

Hate Speech

Expressions that incite violence or prejudicial action against a particular group or individual.

Miller Test

A three-part test used by the courts for determining whether material is obscene.

Strict Scrutiny Test

A test applied to laws that discriminate based on race or fundamental rights; requires a compelling governmental interest.

Compelling State Interest

A legal standard that requires the state to have a significant reason for enacting a law that limits individual rights.

Suspect Class

A class of individuals that have historically been subject to discrimination, requiring strict scrutiny of laws that affect them.

Quasi Suspect Class

A classification that requires intermediate scrutiny; typically includes gender-based discrimination.

Rational Basis Test

A standard of review applied by courts to evaluate laws that do not involve a suspect class or fundamental right.

Executive privilege

The privilege claimed by the president to withhold information from Congress or the courts.

Bully Pulpit

The president's use of their prestige and visibility to guide or mobilize public opinion.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. defending the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

Tinker v. Des Moines

Supreme Court case that upheld the right of students to wear black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam War.

Affirmative Action

Policies that seek to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups in education and employment.

Enumerated powers

Powers explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution.

Faithful execution clause

Clause in the Constitution that requires the president to ensure that laws are faithfully executed.

Articles I-IV of the Constitution

The sections of the Constitution that establish the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

Supremacy Clause

The Constitution's declaration that federal law takes precedence over state laws.

Civil liberties

Basic rights and freedoms guaranteed to individuals, typically protected from government interference.

Civil Rights

The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.

Schenck v. United States

Supreme Court case that upheld limitations on free speech during wartime.

Amendments 1-10

Collectively known as the Bill of Rights, these amendments guarantee individual liberties.

Amendments 13, 14 & 15

These amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed citizenship, and protected the right to vote regardless of race.