AP U.S. Government & Politics Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key Supreme Court cases, constitutional amendments, clauses, and essential concepts from Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

The Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution that limit the power of the government to protect individual freedoms and liberties.

Civil Liberties

Freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights that protect individuals against abuse from the government.

Civil Rights

Rights that guarantee freedom of equality for any race, gender, or other demographic group.

Individual Rights

Constitutional rights protected by the law.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

Supreme Court case where Jewish families sued a New York school district over morning prayer; the Court ruled that the prayer violated the establishment clause.

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Supreme Court case where an Amish family sued Wisconsin for requiring a fine for not sending children to school past the eighth grade; the Court ruled in favor of the family under the First Amendment free exercise clause.

First Amendment Freedom of Religion

Constitutional protection preventing the government from establishing a religion or preventing an individual from practicing their faith or religion.

Establishment Clause

First Amendment provision stating that the government cannot support an official religion or force an individual to follow a religion, promoting the separation of church and state.

Free Exercise Clause

First Amendment provision prohibiting the government from interfering with an individual's religion or practices, with limitations including polygamy and drug use.

Lemon Test

A standard used to determine if a law violates the establishment clause; the law is invalid unless it has a legitimate secular purpose, does not advance or inhibit religion, and avoids excessive entanglement with religion.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

Supreme Court case ruling that students suspended for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War were engaging in symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Supreme Court case ruling that distributing fliers urging resistance to the draft during WWI was not protected by the First Amendment because it incited a clear and present danger.

First Amendment Freedom of Expression

Constitutional protection encompassing freedom of speech and nonverbal symbolic speech.

Clear & Present Danger

Legal doctrine establishing that the government can only restrict or punish speech that incites lawless action, such as screaming fire in a movie theatre to cause panic.

Symbolic Speech

Nonverbal forms of speech, such as signs or symbolic protests like burning the American flag.

Hate Speech

Written or spoken speech that degrades a group based on its characteristics.

Obscenity

Lewd or sexual publications that lack literary or artistic merit.

Defamation

Damaging an individual's reputation by making false statements.

Espionage Act (1917)

Federal legislation banning opposition to U.S. military operations or supporting U.S. enemies during wartime.

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Supreme Court case ruling that the New York Times was protected under First Amendment freedom of the press when the government attempted to prevent the publication of the Pentagon Papers.

First Amendment Freedom of the Press

The right to publish and disperse information or opinions without government censorship.

Libel

Damaging an individual's reputation by printing false statements.

Pentagon Papers

Top-secret document leaked to the New York Times discussing U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, proving President Lyndon B. Johnson lied to Congress and the public about the extent of the war.

Prior Restraint

The government's attempt to suppress harmful information before publication, an action typically declared unconstitutional by courts.

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

Supreme Court case that granted individuals the right to own handguns in their homes in Washington, D.C.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Supreme Court case that stopped Chicago gun control laws by applying the Second Amendment to states via the Fourteenth Amendment due process clause.

Second Amendment

Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to bear arms (own weapons).

Selective Incorporation

The process based on the due process clause that applies Bill of Rights protections into state law, preventing states from passing laws that violate constitutional rights.

Fourth Amendment

Constitutional amendment protecting against unreasonable search and seizures, requiring probable cause.

Eighth Amendment

Constitutional amendment protecting against cruel and unusual punishment, as well as excessive bail and fines.

Rule of Law

The principle that no individual is above the law, including the government, and every citizen follows the same law.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Supreme Court case that incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel to the state level, requiring states to provide counsel to defendants who cannot afford one.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Supreme Court case ruling that a woman's choice to terminate pregnancy during the first trimester was protected under the right to privacy, making it unconstitutional for states to criminalize abortion.

Fourteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment establishing that all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens, explicitly guaranteeing selective incorporation against state violations.

Due Process

Requirement that federal and state governments must respect all legal rights of an individual, protected federally by the Fifth Amendment and at the state level by the Fourteenth Amendment.

Fundamental Rights

Rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and interpreted by the Supreme Court that must be respected by both federal and state governments.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Supreme Court case holding that Ernesto Miranda was deprived of due process by not being informed of his right to remain silent, establishing the Miranda rights.

Due Process Clause

Constitutional clause preventing federal and state governments from denying life, liberty, or property without respecting legal rights or following proper procedures.

Miranda Rights

The requirement that law enforcement must inform an individual subjected to interrogation of their right to remain silent to protect against self-incrimination.

Public Safety Exception

An exception to the Miranda rights allowing unwarned interrogation statements to be used if the information relates directly to public safety.

Sixth Amendment Rights of the Accused

Constitutional protections guaranteeing an accused person the right to an attorney, the right to a speedy and public trial, and the right to an impartial jury.

Exclusionary Rule

Legal principle stating that evidence obtained during an illegal search and seizure cannot be used against a defendant during trial.

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Supreme Court case guaranteeing married couples the right to purchase contraceptives without government interference, establishing a constitutional right to privacy.

Right to Privacy

The constitutional right to be free of government scrutiny against an individual's behaviors or beliefs, implicitly guaranteed across several amendments.

"Penumbra" of Privacy

The "partial shadow" cast by the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments that implicitly guarantees the right to privacy, though not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963)

Document written by Martin Luther King Jr. advocating nonviolent protest to combat Southern segregation, asserting that "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."

Equal Protection Clause

Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting states from denying any person equal protection of the laws.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court case argued with Thurgood Marshall ruling that racially segregated elementary schools violate the equal protection clause, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Federal legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, skin color, national origin, religion, or sex.

Title IX

Federal law preventing schools and educational institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating against females.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that made it easier for African-Americans to vote, outlawed voting discrimination, and eliminated barriers like the poll tax.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Supreme Court case ruling that race-conscious redistricting in North Carolina must comply with the Voting Rights Act and withstand strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause.

"Separate but Equal" Doctrine

Legal principle established in Plessy v. Ferguson holding that racially segregated facilities did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clause.

Majority-Minority Districts

Voting districts drawn with boundaries where the majority of voters belong to a specific minority group, designed to ensure representation.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Supreme Court case ruling that rigid racial quotas could not be used to increase minority enrollment in university admissions.

Affirmative Action

Programs and attempts to provide minority and underrepresented groups with educational or employment opportunities.

"Colorblind" Constitution

The legal belief that the Constitution protects all races equally without favoring or disfavoring any racial group.