american national government final

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections

Enfranchisment

Being granted the right to vote in political elections

Disenfranchisement

Being denied the right to vote or having voting rights taken away or restricted.

Segregation

Forced or legal segregation of people based on race, ethnicity, or other characteristics, often resulting in unequal access to public facilities, education, housing, transportation, and other services.

De Jure Segregation

Racial or other segregation enforced by law. It occurs when government rules, policies, or official actions require separation of groups in public spaces.

De Facto Segregation

Racial or social separation that happens in practice or by custom, not by law.

Slave Codes

Laws passed in American colonies and later U.S. states that controlled enslaved African Americans. Their purpose was to restrict the rights, movement, education, and behavior of enslaved people to maintain control and justify slavery.

The 13th Amendment

Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime.

The 14th Amendment

Established citizenship and equal protection under the law for all people born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved African Americans.

The 15th Amendment

Protects the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Jim Crow

The system of laws, customs, and racial segregation that existed primarily in the U.S. South from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. These laws enforced separation between Black and White Americans in public facilities, education, housing, transportation, and social interactions.

Plessy v. Ferguson

U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1896 that upheld racial segregation laws under the doctrine of "separate but equal"

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1954 that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Thurgood Marshall

Civil rights lawyer and the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice. He is best known for his work to end racial segregation, especially in public schools.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist best known for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader, minister, and activist who became the most prominent voice of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s

Medgar Evers

Civil rights leader and World War II veteran who fought against segregation and racial injustice in Mississippi during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark federal law that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.

Dennis Smith v. US

In Dennis v. United States (1951), the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of Communist Party leaders under the Smith Act for conspiring to advocate the violent overthrow of U.S. government. The Supreme Court ruled that the Smith Act was a constitutional restriction on speech, finding that the defendants' organized conspiracy to formant rebellion posed a "clear and present danger" to the government.

Brandenburg v. Ohio

In the 1969 case Brandenburg v. Ohio, the Supreme Court ruled that the first amendment protects speech advocating illegal action unless it is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action. The Court overturned the conviction of a Ku Klux Klan leader, Clarence Brandenburg, who had been charged under an Ohio law that criminalized advocating violence. This established the "Brandenburg test", which is now the standard for determining when inflammatory speech can be restricted

The Imminent Lawless Action Standard

The imminent lawless action standard is a U.S. Supreme Court test from the case Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) that determines when speech inciting illegal acts is not protected by the First Amendment. Under this standard, advocacy of violence or illegal conduct can only be restricted if the speech is directed at inciting immediate lawlessness and is likely to produce such action. This two-pronged test replaced the broader "clear and present danger" test and requires a high threshold for restricting speech, protecting "mere advocacy" of illegal acts unless it poses a direct and immediate threat.

Elonis v. USA

In Elonis v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that a conviction for making online threats requires proof that the defendant had a guilty mental state, not just that a "reasonable person" would have seen the posts as a threat. The Court reversed the conviction of Anthony Elonis, who had posted rap lyrics on Facebook that appeared to threaten his ex-wife and others. The decision held that a negligence standard was insufficient for a criminal conviction under the federal anti-threat statute.

Obscenity

The state or quality of being obscene; obscene behavior, language, or images.

Roth v. United States

Roth v. United States (1957) was a landmark Supreme Court case that ruled obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. The Court held that while freedom of speech is a fundamental right, it does not extend to "utterly without redeeming social importance" materials. The case, combined with Alberts v. California, established a new legal standard for obscenity, replacing the older, more restrictive Hicklin test.

Community Standards Standard

Rules that a group, organization, or community creates to guide how should behave and interact. They are meant to make the community safe, fair, respectful, and inclusive for everyone.

The Miller Test

A legal standard used in the United States to determine whether speech or materials are legally obscene and therefore not protected by the First Amendment. It was created by the Supreme Court in the 1973 case Miller v. California

Everson v. Board

Everson v. Board of Education (1947) is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and government aid to religious institutions

Lemon v. Kurtzman

Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) is a major U.S. Supreme Court involving the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and government funding for religious schools

Santa Fe v. Doe

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000) is a major Supreme Court case about prayer in public schools and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment

What is one major reason people still disagree about the Second Amendment

Its wording is vague and allows for different interpretation

What did the Supreme Court decide in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)

Individuals have a right to own a firearm for self-defense

Why do many rural areas tend to support fewer gun restrictions

Guns are often tied to hunting, culture, and personal protection

How many people watched the famous O.J. Simpson white Ford Bronco chase?

95 million

How long was the jury sequestered during the O.J. Simpson trial?

266 days

What phrase from Johnnie Cochran became one of the most memorable lines from the trial?

"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit"

What were the early voting restrictions in the United States?

Only white men with property could vote

Did the Constitution originally guarantee the right to vote?

No, states decided who could vote

What did the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments do?

15th: African American Men Vote
19th: Women Vote
24th: Poll Taxes Banned
26th: Voting Age Lowered to 18

Why was the Voting Rights Act of 1965 important?

It banned literacy tests and protected minority voters

What are some modern voting issues in the U.S.?

Voter ID laws, early voting limits, mail-in-voting debates, polling place closures

Which of the following is an example of a pull factor in immigration?

Job opportunities in the destination county

Which of the following is an example of a push factor in immigration?

A disadvantage or hardship that motivates people to leave their home county

Which of the following best explains why Brown v. Board of Education did not fully eliminate racial inequality in education?

The decision ended legal segregation but did not address issues such as funding, housing segregation, and political resistance

What major factor continues to create unequal school funding after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling?

Public school funding is largely tied to local property taxes, which reflect racial wealth gaps

Which Supreme Court Case overturned the long-standing doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson?

Brown v. Board of Education

What was the primary purpose of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) when it was created in 1933?

To give young unemployed men jobs while improving and conserving natural resources

Which of the following accomplishments is the CCC best known for, according to the report?

Planting over three billion trees and contributing to afforestation

How did the CCC influence the development of state and national parks?

It built facilities such as lodges, hiking trails, and campsites, helping establish hundreds of state parks

What Supreme Court case ended racial segregation in public schools?

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Homer Plessy argued that the Separate Car Act of 1892 violated which constitutional protection?

Fourteenth Amendment-Equal Protection Clause

What Supreme Court case established the "separate but equal" doctrine?

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Which of the following is not a function of the Department of Education?

Setting Curriculum for America's schools

What was the name of the report created by Ronald Reagan's National Commission on Excellence in Education that kick-started the modern Department of Education?

A Nation at Risk

What was the name of George W. Bush's policy on education?

No Child Left Behind

Why was the Department of Education controversial at its inception just after the Civil War?

The south opposed the education of freed slaves

Who returned the Department of Education to an actual department?

Jimmy Carter

What major effect did Roe v. Wade have in 1973?

It legalized abortion nationwide using the right to privacy

Which movement grew significantly as a direct reaction to Roe v. Wade?

Pro-life movement

What major Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022?

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

Which Texas industries rely heavily on immigrant and undocumented workers?

Construction, agriculture, services

What can happen when there are many undocumented workers in key jobs?

Wages may stay low
Job competition for middle-class workers increases
Bargaining power is reduced

What was the outcome of the Hoffman Plastic v. NLRB case?

The Supreme Court ruled the worker could not get back pay

How does freedom of speech and religion work in the First Amendment?

They protect people's right to speak freely and practice any religion

What court case shows that offensive speech is protected under the First Amendment?

Texas v. Johnson

What does freedom of speech and religion look like in schools?

Students can speak and practice religion as long as it's not disruptive, and schools must stay neutral