Vocabulary for Friday's Quiz

Vocabulary Notes for Exam

First Amendment

• States that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise."
• Key components:
  • Establishment Clause: Government cannot create an official religion.
  • Free Exercise Clause: Government cannot stop individuals from practicing their chosen religion.

Civil Rights Movement

• A social movement in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s.
• Goals: Demand equal rights for African Americans and minorities.
• Methods: Organized protests, speeches, marches, and boycotts to combat unfair laws.

Indian Citizenship Act (1924)

• Act of Congress that:
  • Recognized all American Indians as U.S. citizens.
  • Granted the right to vote in federal elections.

Voting Rights Act

• Aimed to protect voting rights for all U.S. citizens.
• Ensured enforcement of the Constitution and prohibited denial of voting based on race or color.

Literacy Test

• A test requiring individuals to demonstrate the ability to read and write.
• Used until 1964 to disenfranchise minorities.

Suffrage

• Definition: The right to vote.

Poll Tax

• A fee required to vote, used to restrict voting rights for African Americans until 1964.

Grandfather Clause

• Legal provision stating a citizen could vote only if their grandfather had been allowed to vote, effectively disenfranchising many African Americans.

Amendments Related to Voting Rights

• 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery (1865).
• 14th Amendment: Protects life, liberty, and property rights without due process; defines citizenship.
• 15th Amendment: Prohibits denying voting rights based on race, color, or previous servitude (1870).
• 19th Amendment: Grants women the right to vote (1920).
• 24th Amendment: Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections (1964).
• 26th Amendment: Lowers voting age to 18 (1971); ensures eligibility based on age and citizenship.

Application of Voting Rights Knowledge

• Key scenarios to apply voting rights knowledge for examples:
  • Lea (1987): 35 years old and female, eligible to vote due to the 19th Amendment.
  • Mary (1964): 20 years old in D.C., eligible to vote since she is older than 18.
  • Marvin (1815): Wealthy landowner, eligible to vote based on property criteria (context needed).
  • Mike (2011): 17 years old, not eligible to vote.

True/False Practice Questions

• National Religion: The government is not allowed to establish a national religion according to the 1st Amendment (False).
• Voting Age (26th Amendment): Not all men 18 and older can vote; they also need to be eligible (a potential false assertion).
• 15th Amendment: It states that all men regardless of color should have the right to vote (True).
• Free Exercise Clause: Allows worship unless harm is caused (True).
• Civil Rights Movement Impact: It made substantial improvements in life for Black Americans (False).
• Indian Citizenship Act: Acknowledged Native Americans as citizens and granted them the right to vote (True).