abridging
limiting or reducing
assemble
to meet with others to discuss one's beliefs, ideas, or feelings
First Amendment
An amendment to the Constitution that protects freedom of expression and the right of assembly.
freedom of expression
the right to make known one's attitudes, emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc., as protected by the First Amendment
redress of grievances
The correction of complaints. The First Amendment protects the right of the people to petition government to obtain remedies for claimed wrongs.
establishment clause
The part of the First Amendment that says the government cannot declare an official religion.
free exercise clause
The part of the First Amendment that says the government may not stop anyone from holding religious beliefs they choose and may not unfairly or unreasonably limit anyone's right to practice their religious beliefs.
civil rights movement
a social movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, in which people organized to demand equal rights for African Americans and other minorities. People worked together to change unfair laws. They gave speeches, marched in the streets, and p
civil war amendments
The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution ratified after the Civil War.
grandfather clause
A law that stated that a citizen could vote only if his grandfather had been allowed to vote. This law made it impossible for African-American to vote because their grandfathers had not been allowed to vote.
literacy test
A test that requires people to prove that they are able to read and write. Until 1964, these tests were used in various states throughout the country to keep minorities from voting.
poll tax
A tax that voters in many states were required to pay in order to exercise their right to vote. These barriers were used until 1964 to prevent African Americans from voting.
register
to enroll one's name officially as a requirement for voting.
suffrage
the right to vote
voting rights act
The act further protected the right to vote for all U.S. citizens. It forced the states to obey the Constitution. It made it clear that the right to vote could not be denied because of a person's color or race.
thirteenth amendment
This Amendment abolished slavery. It was adopted after the Civil War in 1865.
fourteenth amendment
An amendment to the Constitution that states that no person - including people who are not citizens - will have their, life, liberty, or property taken away by state and local governments without due process of the law. This amendment protects a citizen's
fifteenth amendment
An amendment to the Constitution, ratified after the Civil War in 1870, that forbids the denial of voting rights to any person based on race, color, or whether that person was previously a slave.
nineteenth amendment
Added to the Constitution in 1920, it gave women the right to vote.
twenty-fourth amendment
The Amendment adopted in 1964 that forbids the levying of a poll tax or any other tax on eligible voters in elections for federal officials, including the president, vice president, and members of Congress.
twenty-sixth amendment
The Amendment adopted in 1971 that says a state cannot deny someone the right to vote if they have reached the age of 18 and are otherwise eligible to vote.
boycott
to refuse to buy from or deal with a store or company as an act of protest.
civil rights act of 1964
This law ended segregation in public places including restaurants, movie theaters, and hotels. The law also said that employers could not unfairly discriminate against people because of their race, national origin, religion or gender.
equal protection clause
Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which has been used to prevent states from treating individuals unfairly because of their race, national origin, citizenship status, or gender. It prohibits laws that unreasonably and unfairly favor some groups over
jim crow laws
Laws common in the South from 1877 until the 1950s that required African Americans to use separate schools and other public facilities and that prevented them from exercising the right to vote.
segregation
the separation or isolation of a race, or ethnic group from the rest of society.
separate but equal
the argument, once upheld by the Supreme Court but later reversed, that different public facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional if the facilities were of equal quality.
due process
The right to be treated fairly by the government. Meaning that the content of laws the legislature pass must be fair and reasonable.
fifth amendment
No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
procedures
methods used to conduct hearings to apply and enforce the law, must be fair and reasonable
susan b. anthony
(February 15, 1820 to March 13, 1906), better known as Susan B.Anthony, was an American writer, lecturer and abolitionist who was a leading figure in the women's voting rights movement. Raised in a Quaker household, Anthony went on to work as a teacher. S
martin luther king jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968.Led the March on Washington in 1968 where he gave his "I have a dream s
rosa parks
Civil rights activist Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 to October 24, 2005) refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus, which spurred on the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott that helped launch nationwide efforts t
tinker vs. des moines
freedom of expression
hazelwood school district
freedom of the press
plessy vs. ferguson
separate but equal
brown vs. board of education
14th amendment; separate is not equal