Chapter-15 Flashcards
Natural rights
The rights of all people to dignify and worth; also called human rights
Civil rights
The rights of all people to be free from irrational discrimination such as that based on race, religion, sex, or ethnic origin.
Affirmative action
Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.
Naturalization
A legal action conferring citizenship on an alien.
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
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 literary requirement some states imposed as a condition of voting, generally used in the south to disqualify blacks.
White primary
A Democratic Party primary in the one party south that was limited to white people and essentially constituted an election; ruled unconstitutional in Smith v Allwright
Racial Gerrymandering
Drawing election districts so as to ensure that members of a certain race are a minority in the district. Ruled unconstitutional in Gomillion v Lighhtfoot.
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 Board of Elections
Majority-minority district
A congressional district created to include a majority of minority’s voters; ruled unconstitutional so long as race is not the main factor in redistributing
Jim Crow Laws
State law formerly pervasive throughout the south requiring public facilities and accommodations to be segregated by race; ruled unconstitutional
Commerce clause
The clause of the constitution that gives congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or nations.
Class action suit
A lawsuit brought by an individual or a group of people on behalf of all those similarly situated
Restrictive covenant
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
Equal protection clause
A clause in that the 14th amendment that forbids any state to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. By interpretation, the 5th amendment imposes the same limitations 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.
Due process clause
A clause in the 5th amendment limiting the power of the national government; a similar clause in the 14th amendment prohibits state governments 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.
