Ch. 5 Civil Rights

Civil Rights

Protections from discrimination by the government and individuals, rooted in the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Disenfranchisement

The state of being deprived of a right, especially the right to vote.

Jim Crow laws

State and local statutes that legalized racial segregation in the United States.

Separate but equal

The doctrine that racial segregation is constitutional as long as the separate facilities are equal.

Intersectionality

The interplay of different social categories such as race, class, and gender, which creates overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

Protectionism

The rationale that certain rights should be denied to women for their own safety or well-being.

Brown v. Board of Education

The landmark Supreme Court case that rejected the separate but equal doctrine in public education.

Affirmative Action

Policies that seek to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups, often involving preferential treatment in education and employment.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

De jure segregation

Racial segregation that is enforced by law.

De facto segregation

Racial segregation that occurs through social norms or practices rather than legal requirements.

Strict scrutiny

The highest level of scrutiny applied by courts to government actions that discriminate based on race.

Intermediate scrutiny

A standard used by courts to evaluate laws that involve gender discrimination.

Rational basis test

The lowest level of scrutiny applied by courts when evaluating laws that do not involve fundamental rights or suspect classifications.

Obergefell v. Hodges

The landmark Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.

Title IX of the Education Amendments

A federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that receives federal funding.

Americans with Disabilities Act

A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

Hate Crimes

Criminal acts motivated by bias against a person based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

Civil Rights Movement

A decades-long struggle for social justice by activists to end institutionalized racial discrimination in the United States.