Lamar University POLS-2302 Test 1 Prof. Terri Davis

19th Amendment

Allowed women the right to vote

Alexander Hamilton

Founding father and author of the Federalist Papers

James Madison

Founding father, fourth President of the United States, author of the Federalist Papers

Articles I, II, III, V, VI

I:Legislative branch-creates law II:Executive branch-enforces law III:Judicial branch-interprets law V:Amendments VI:Supremacy clause VI:Ratification

LULAC

League of United Latin American Citizens; formed to protect against discrimination and to fight for greater rights for Latinos

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a rallying point for securing equality for African-Americans founded in 1909

civil right - civil liberty (definition and distinction between the terms)

Civil Rights- are guarantees by the government that it will treat people equally, particularly people belonging to groups that have historically been denied the same rights and opportunities as others. Civil Liberties- which are limitations on government power designed to protect our fundamental freedoms. For example, the Eighth Amendment prohibits the application of "cruel and unusual punishments" to those convicted of crimes, a limitation on government power.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Established the federal judiciary of the United States.

amicus curiae briefs

a brief filed by someone who is interested in but not a party to a case

The Federalist Papers

a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

Three-Fifths Compromise

a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all state's free population and 60 percent of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

Great Compromise

a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two-house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate

appellate court

a court that reviews cases already decided by a lower or trial court and that may change the lower court's decision

Magna Carta

a document signed by King John promising that he and future monarchs would refrain from certain actions that harmed, or had the potential to harm, the people of England; contained protections for life, liberty, and property

Declaration of Independence

a document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

republic

a form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

oligarchy

a form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power

totalitarianism

a form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights

monarchy

a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power

direct democracy

a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them

representative democracy

a form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws

majority rule

a fundamental principle of democracy, the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole

confederation

a highly decentralized form of government, sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense

Virginia Plan

a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state's population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house

New Jersey Plan

a plan that called for a one-house national legislature, each state would receive one vote

democracy

a political system in which people govern themselves

white primaries

a primary election in which only whites are allowed to vote

en banc

a session in which a case is heard before all the judges of a court rather than by a panel of judges selected from them

checks and balances

a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

amendments to the U.S. Constitution establishing rights for African-Americans including full voting rights 13th- Abolished slavery 14th-Black citizenship, protection under law to be treated equal 15th-Blacks right to vote.gave rights to men to vote

social contract

an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights

Shay's Rebellion

an armed uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to increased government coercion in taxing individuals and in their trades

federalism

an institutional arrangement that creates two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on the people with authority granted by the national constitution

"glass ceiling"

an invisible barrier caused by discrimination that prevents women from rising to the highest levels of an organization--including corporations, governments, academic institutions, and religious organizations

writ of certiorari

an order of the Supreme Court calling up the records of the lower court so a case may be reviewed; sometimes abbreviated cert.

"power map"

an outline of the structure and powers of the three branches of government. Articles

reserved powers

any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

"Little Rock Nine"

President Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort nine black students into an Arkansas high school to enforce the Supreme Court's order outlawing racial segregation in public schools

Selection of federal judges

The president nominates a candidate for a justice position, and the nominee must be confirmed by a majority vote in the U.S. Senate. All judges and justices in the national courts serve lifetime terms of office.

"auxiliary precautions"

checks and balances

elite theory

claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people

pluralist theory

claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people

social capital

connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them

Americans with Disabilities Act

expanded opportunities and protections for people of all ages with disabilities. Expanded the categories and definition of disability. ADA prohibits discrimination in employment based on disability. Requires employers to make reasonable accommodations available. ADA mandates that public transportation and public accommodations be made accessible to those with disabilities

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

for religious reasons, some for-profit corporations could be exempt from the requirement that employers provide insurance coverage of contraceptives for their female employee

the "black codes"

laws passed immediately after the Civil War that discriminated against freed slaves and other blacks and deprived them of their rights

C. Wright Mills

major supporter of the elite theory of government and author of The Power Elite

"white flight"

migration of white Americans from mixed, urban neighborhoods to suburbs

Indian Reorganization Act

passed by Congress in 1934 ending the division of reservation land into allotments; returned right to Native American tribes to institute self-government on their reservations, get an education, and start businesses.

Robert Putnam

political scientist, studied the decline of civic engagement

USA DREAM Act

proposal for granting undocumented immigrants permanent residency in stages

minority rights

protections for those who are not part of the majority

"freedom of choice" plans

schools that gave students the right to choose between attending white or black schools to aid in integration

de jure segregation

segregation that results from government discrimination

de facto segregation

segregation that results from the private choices of individuals

Jim Crow laws

state and local laws that promoted racial segregation and undermined black voting rights in the south after Reconstruction

Marbury v. Madison

the 1803 Supreme Court case that established the courts' power of judicial review and the first time the Supreme Court ruled an act of Congress to be unconstitutional

Dred Scott v. Sandford

the 1857 Supreme Court ruling that African-Americans were not citizens and could not sue in court

Elks v. Wilkins

the 1884 Supreme Court ruling that Native Americans were not granted citizenship under the 14th amendment

Plessey v. Ferguson

the 1896 Supreme Court ruling that allowed "separate but equal" racial segregation under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

Korematsu v. U. S.

the 1944 Supreme Court case regarding Executive Order 9066, executive order forcing many Japanese and Japanese Americans into internment camps. Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American, relocated and claimed to be Mexican-American to avoid being interned, but was later arrested and convicted of violating an executive order. US upheld the actions of the government as necessary precaution in a time of war

Mendez v. Westminster

the 1947 Supreme Court ruling that the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students into separate schools was unconstitutional

Shelley v. Kraemer

the 1948 Supreme Court ruling that racially restrictive housing covenants is restricted under the Equal Protection Clause

Brown v. Board of Education

the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Plessy v. Ferguson and declared segregation and "separate but equal" to be unconstitutional in public education

Harper v. Board of Elections

the 1966 Supreme Court ruling that poll taxes are unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause

Shelby County v. Holder

the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that ended the need for federal approval to change laws and policies related to voting

Obergefell v. Hodges

the Supreme Court overturned state bans and made same-sex marriage legal throughout the US

Lawrence v. Texas

the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional state laws that criminalized sexual intercourse between consenting adults of the same sex.

Arizona v. U. S.

the U.S. Supreme Court struck down those provisions of the law that made it a state crime to reside in the United States illegally, forbade undocumented immigrants to take jobs.

political efficacy

the belief that you make a difference and that government cares about you and your views

American political culture

the collection of public opinion through polling and interviews

Articles of Confederation

the first basis for the new nation's government, adopted in 1781, created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

original jurisdiction

the power of a court to hear a case for the first time

appellate jurisdiction

the power of a court to hear a case on appeal from a lower court and possibly change the lower court's decision

judicial review

the power of the courts to review actions taken by the other branches of government and the states and to rule on whether those actions are constitutional

liberty

the power or scope to act as one pleases

enumerated powers

the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

stare decisis

the principle by which courts rely on past decisions and their precedents when making decisions in new cases

separation of powers

the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

strict scrutiny

the standard used by the courts to decide cases of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion; burden of proof is on the government to demonstrate a compelling governmental interest is at stake and no alternative means are available to accomplish its goals

rational basis test

the standard used by the courts to decide most forms of discrimination; the burden of proof is on those challenging the law or action to demonstrate there is no good reasoning for treating them differently from other citizens

Supremacy Clause

the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

district courts

the trial courts of the federal court system where cases are tried, evidence is presented, and witness testimony is heard

Anti-Federalists

those who did not support ratification of the Constitution

Federalists

those who supported ratification of the Constitution

Seneca Falls Convention

1st convention held for women's rights in 1848. Elizabeth Santon and Luretia Mott

John Roberts

17th and current Chief Justice of the United States

John Locke

17th century English philosopher, believed in God-given rights such as life, liberty, and property

John Marshall

American politician, fourth Chief Justice of the United States, credited with defining the modern court

Thurgood Marshall

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, United States' first African-American Justice

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments added to the constitution, designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties

Thomas Jefferson

Wrote declaration of independence