civil rights
The constitutional rights of all persons to due process and the equal protection of the laws; these include the rights of all people to be free from irrational discrimiation such as that based on race, religion, sex, or ethnic origin
Natural Rights
The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.
Affirmative Action
Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.
Naturalization
A legal action conferring citizenship on an immigrant
dual citizenship
Citizenship in more than one nation.
Right of expatriation
The right to renounce one's citizenship.
Women's Suffrage
the right of women to vote
Equal Protection Clause
Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. By interpretation, the Fifth Amendment imposes the same limitation on the national government. This clause is the maj
dual process clause
a clause in the fifth amendment limiting the power of the national government; a similar clause in the fourteenth amendment prohibits state government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
rational basis test
A standard developed by the courts to test the constitutionality of a law; when applied, a law is constitutional as long as it meets a reasonable government interest.
strict scrutiny test
a test applied by the court when a classification is based on race; the government must show that there is a compelling reason for the law and no other less restrictive way to meet the interest
heightened scrutiny test
this test has been applied when a law classifies based on sex; to be upheld, the law must meet an important government interest
literacy test
A literacy requirement some states imposed as a condition of voting, generally used to disqualify black voters in the South; now illegal.
white primary
Democratic party primary in the old "one-party South" that was limited to white people and essentially constituted an election; ruled unconstitutional in Smith v. Allwright (1944).
racial gerrymandering
The drawing of election districts so as to ensure that members of a certain race are a minority in the district; ruled unconstitutional in Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960).
poll tax
Tax required to vote; prohibited for national elections by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964) and ruled unconstitutional for all elections in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966).
majority-minoirty districts
A congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; ruled constitutional so long as race is not it main factor in restricting
Jim Crow Laws
State laws formerly pervasive throughout the South requiring public facilities and accommodations to be segregated by race; ruled unconstitutional.
Commerce Clause
The clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.
class action suit
Lawsuit brought by an individual or group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated.
Restrictive Covenants
A provision in a deed to real property prohibiting its sale to a person of a particular race or religion. Judicial enforcement of such deeds is unconstitutional.
de jure segregation
segregation imposed by law
de facto segregation
Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice.