Equal Rights under the Law Flashcards
Natural Rights
Rights of all people to dignity and worth; human rights
Affirmative Action
Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women
Women’s Suffrage
Right of women to vote
White Primary
Democratic party primarily 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 c retain race are a minority in the district
Poll Tax
Tax required to vote; prohibited for national elections by the 24th Amendment
Literacy Test
Literacy requirements some states imposed as a condition of voting, generally used to disqualify black voters in the South; now illegal
Majority-minority District
A Congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; ruled constitutional so long as race is not the main factor in redistricting
Jim Crow Laws
State laws formerly pervasive throughout the South requiring public facilities and accommodations to be segregated by race; ruled as unconstitutional
De Jure Segregation
Segregation imposed by law
De facto Segregation
Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice
Commerce Clause
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
Class Action Suit
Lawsuit brought by an individual or 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 in unconstitutional
