Freedom of Speech
the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint.
Eminent Domain
The right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Equal Protection Clause
14th amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination
Free Exercise Clause
The First Amendment guarantee that citizens may freely engage in the religious activities of their choice
Segregation
Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences
Double Jeopardy
Trial or punishment for the same crime by the same government; forbidden by the Constitution.
Suffrage
The right to vote
Reserved Powers
Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people
Established Clause
First Amendment freedom of religion protection that focuses on the separation of church and state
Civil Rights Movement
A social movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960's, 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
Due Process of Law
Denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive people of life, liberty, and property
Poll Tax
A tax levied on every adult, without reference to income or resources.
Abolition
The action or an act of abolishing a system, practice, or institution.
Incorporation Doctrine
The legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Symbolic Speech
Nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some symbolic speech protection under the first amendment.
What is the Bill of Rights?
The first ten amendments to the Constitution
What were the views of the Anti-Federalists on the Bill of Rights?
Anti-federalists argued that a bill of rights was necessary.
How are the amendments to the constitution proposed?
By a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the states request one, by a convention called for that purpose.
How are amendments to the constitution ratified?
3/4th of state legislatures must approve
What rights does the first amendments protect?
Speech, Assembly, Press, Petition and Religion.
What is meant by freedom of petition?
We the people are allowed to go against or ask for change.
Which amendments offer protections against abuse of power by the government?
The first ten amendments.
What rights are protected in the 2nd and 3rd amendments?
The right to bear arms/guns and no quartering soldiers.
Describe the 4th amendment to the constitution. Why is it sometimes associated with privacy?
The 4th amendment is about privacy because it protects your information or property basically everything that is personal about you.
If you are accused of a crime, what rights do you have under our Constitution? What rights are
protected by the 5th Amendment?
1) right to indictment by the grand jury before any criminal charges for felonious crimes, 2) a prohibition on double jeopardy, 3) a right against forced self-incrimination.
Describe the 7th Amendment to the Constitution.
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules o
Describe the 8th Amendment to the Constitution.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
What is stated in the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution?
9th-The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 10th-Amendment says, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the State
What are the Civil War Amendments? Describe each.
13th-Banned Slavery and all involuntary servitude.
14th-All persons born or naturalized in the United States.
15th-Declaring African american men the right to vote.
Why is the 16th Amendment important?
Played a central role in building up the powerful American federal government of the twentieth century by making it possible to enact a modern, nationwide income tax. Before long, the income tax would become by far the federal government's largest source
What was the 17th Amendment and how did it affect citizens' participation in government?
17th-Gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislature. Increased the American public's ability to control the federal government, because it granted voters the opportunity to directly elect their representatives to the Sen
Which group of people pushed for the 19th Amendment and what does that amendment state?
In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was formed to push for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Another organization, the American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Lucy Stone, was organ
Why was the 23rd Amendment ratified?
Congress passed the Twenty-Third Amendment on June 16, 1960. The proposed amendment was quickly ratified as part of the Constitution. ... The Amendment allows American citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for presidential electors, who in
Describe the significance of the 24th Amendment.
On this date in 1962, the House passed the 24th Amendment, outlawing the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections, by a vote of 295 to 86. ... The poll tax exemplified "Jim Crow" laws, developed in the post-Reconstruction South, which aimed t
What does the 26th Amendment state, and why was it ratified when it was (1971)?
The Twenty-sixth Amendment (Amendment XXVI) to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old.
When it comes to interpreting the meaning of the US Constitution, who (what group of people) has the final say on its meaning?
As the final arbiter of the law, the Court is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution. The Supreme Court is "distinctly American in conce
What is the significance of the 14th Amendment? Why is the 14th Amendment is often referred to as the "2nd Bill of Rights?
Supreme Court.
Why are citizens' rights often difficult to interpret in the Bill of Rights? Who has the sole responsibility for interpreting these rights?
Citizens' rights are often difficult to interpret because the Bill of Rights is a broad description of rights. Interpreting rights involves weighing them against other rights. Interpreting the meaning of citizens' rights is the job of the courts.
What is the difference between Civil Rights and Civil Liberties? (Ch.10, Sect. 1)
Civil liberties are protections against government actions. For example, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees citizens the right to practice whatever religion they please. ... Civil rights, in contrast, refer to positive actions of governm
Compare and Contrast the rulings in the court cases Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas.
Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The 'separate but equal' doctrine adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson has