Shared Flashcard Set

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Ch.17-rights and liberties-EAR
equal rights under the law
16
Political Studies
12th Grade
01/20/2009

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

Natural Rights

Definition
the rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights
Term

Affirmative Action

Definition
remedial action designed to overcome the effects of past discrimination against minorities and women
Term

Women’s Suffrage

Definition
the right of women to vote
Term

Equal Protection Clause

Definition
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 major constitutional restraint on the power of governments to discriminate against persons because of race, national origin, or sex.
Term

Due Process Clause

Definition
Clause in the Fifth Amendment limiting the power of the national government; similar clause in the fourteenth amendment prohibiting state governments from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property with out due process of law
Term

White Primary

Definition
primary operated by the Democratic Party in southern states that, before republicans gained strength in the “one party South”, essentially constituted an election; ruled unconstitutional in Smith v. Allwright (1944)
Term

Racial Gerrymandering)

Definition
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
Term

Poll Tax

Definition
 payment required as a condition for voting; prohibited for national election by the twenty fourth amendment (1964) and ruled unconstitutional for all elections in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966)
Term

Literacy Test

Definition
literacy required imposed by some states as a condition of voting, generally used to disqualify blacks from voting in the South; now illegal
Term

Majority-Minority District

Definition
a congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; rule constitutional so long as race is not the main factor in redistricting
Term

Jim Crow Laws

Definition
state laws formerly pervasive throughout the South requiring public facilities and accommodations to be segregated by race; ruled unconstitutional 
Term

De Jure Segregation

Definition
segregation imposed by law
Term

De Facto Segregation

Definition
Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice
Term

Commerce Clause

Definition
the clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.
Term

Class Action Suit-

Definition
lawsuit brought by an individual or a group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated
Term

Restrictive Covenant-

Definition
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 in unconstitutional
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