ap gov vocab unit 3

bolded terms only

civil liberties

personal freedoms protected from arbitrary governmental interference or deprivations by constitutional guarantee.

civil rights

protections from discrimination based on such characteristics as race, color, national origin, religion, and sex.

bill of rights

designed specifically to guarantee liberties and rights.

due process clause

in the fifth amendment- establishes that no person shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

selective incorporation

The process of declaring only certain, or selected, provisions of the Bill of Rights applicable to the states rather than all of them at once.

establishment clause

prevents the federal government from establishing a national religion.

Free Exercise Clause

prevents governments from stopping religious practices.

Clear and Present Danger Test

government’s right to convict citizens for certain speech.

prior restraint

the right to stop spoken or printed expression in advance.

libel

false statements in print about someone that defames—or damages that person’s reputation.

ex post facto laws

a law that imposes criminal liability or increases criminal punishment retroactively

bill of attainder

a legislative act that punishes a specific person or group of people without a trial.

writ of habeas corpus

court order that compels a person to bring a prisoner before a judge to determine if the detention is lawful

miranda rights

a set of legal rights that must be explained to a suspect in police custody before they are interrogated

13th amendment

Outlawed slavery across the United States, trumping the Tenth Amendment’s reserved powers to the states.

14th amendment

Guaranteed U.S. citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States.

equal protection clause

protected individuals’ rights when in other jurisdictions [states]. (in 14th)

15th amendment

Prohibited states from denying the vote to anyone “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

separate but equal

doctrine established by the Supreme Court's 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, which stated that segregation in public facilities was constitutional as long as the facilities were considered "equal"

affirmative action

the label placed on institutional efforts to diversify by race, gender, or otherwise.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which investigates allegations of discrimination in hiring and firing.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

single greatest improvement for African Americans’ access to the ballot box.

19th amendment

guarantees women the right to vote

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

amended the 1964 Civil Rights Act, guaranteed that women have the same educational opportunities as men in programs receiving federal government funding.

letter from Birmingham jail

addresses each of the points the white clergy make in “A Call for Unity” to make a clear case for the need for nonviolent direct action.