AP GOV Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Which of the following scenarios is an example of a constitutional application of affirmative action?

A federal contractor actively recruits qualified minorities and women for positions in the company.

In the case Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964), the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power under the commerce clause to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Which of the following explains how this case is similar to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ?

Both cases upheld the power of the federal government to ensure equal protection under the law. Both cases dealt with racial segregation and the violation of the equal protection clause

Which of the following cases addresses the issue of mandatory public school prayer?

Engel v Vitale (1962)

Which of the following cases arose from a state law that mandates public schools to begin the school day with the reading of a nondenominational prayer by a school official?

Engel v. Vitale (1962) explained: Engel was a First Amendment case involving the invocation of a public school teacher-led prayer that the Supreme Court ruled as a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Writing for the court in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), a case weighing whether or not race can be considered in college admissions, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell wrote that " . . . Race or ethnic background may be deemed a 'plus' in a particular applicant's file, yet it does not insulate the individual from comparison with all other candidates for the available seats." Which of the following legal concepts is Justice Powell considering in his statement?

Equal Protection clause; Affirmative action cases, such as the Bakke example, often need to consider whether the specific affirmative action policy violates the equal protection clause. The Supreme Court ruled that schools must balance the goal of a diverse student body with a consideration of fairness in admissions for all races.

What generally does the Fourteenth Amendment provide for?

Equal protection of the laws and due process

Which of the following is an example of affirmative action?

Harvard Medical School actively recruits highly qualified minorities and female applicants for its residency program.

In Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) how did the Supreme Court's decision address state interests and individual rights?

It balanced the state's interest in compulsory education with the students' free exercise rights. Explained: The Supreme Court ruled in Yoder that the Wisconsin statute that required students to attend school beyond the eighth grade (to age sixteen) violated the free exercise of the religious rights of the Amish without a sufficient state interest to do so.

The case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld the standard of "separate but equal" in American law. Which of the following explains how this case relates to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) ?

Plessy established a precedent that was eventually overturned in the Brown case.

Which of the following cases involves a state law that prevents women who are pregnant from seeking abortions?

Roe v Wade (1973)

Which of the following is a doctrine based on the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution that was used in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) to limit the power of states and protect the right to keep and bear arms?

Selective incorporation; is the doctrine based on the Fourteenth Amendment in which the Court applies the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states in a piecemeal fashion via the due process clause

Students at a public university hold a peaceful protest to demonstrate against an increase in the cost of college tuition. Which of the following constitutional protections best applies to this scenario?

The First Amendment

The police searched a suspect's smartphone without getting a warrant and found photo evidence of criminal activity. After a thorough investigation, the suspect was charged and the evidence obtained from the smartphone was used in the trial. Which of the following amendments contains the Bill of Rights protections that were most likely violated in this scenario?

The Fourth Amendment

Which of the following best characterizes the debate regarding the Second Amendment according to the author of the passage?

The Second Amendment is viewed by some as an individual rights issue but by others as a states' rights issue.

A person accused of a crime cannot afford an attorney, so the state provides the accused with a public defender. Which of the following amendments in the Bill of Rights best applies in this scenario?

The Sixth Amendment

In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment right to bear arms was applicable to the states. Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution did the Supreme Court use to support its ruling?

The doctrine of selective incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment, holding that state action limiting gun rights deprived persons of "life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"

n Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), the Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools, finding that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." What constitutional clause did the Court rely most heavily on to reach this decision?

The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prevents public schools from segregating students by race.

Which of the following explains the most significant long-term consequence of the ideas expressed in the passage? (Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream")

The value of "all men are created equal" was reaffirmed both in law and in American political culture.

due process clause

clause contained in the fifth and fourteenth amendments; over the years, it has been construed to guarantee a variety of rights to individuals.

affirmitive action

policies designed to give special attention or compensatory treatment to members of a previously disadvantaged group

title IX

provision of the education amendments of 1972 that bars educational institutions that receive federal funds from discrimination against female students.

equal protection clause

section of the fourteenth amendment that guarantees all citizens receive "equal protection of the laws."

establishment clause

the first clause of the first amendment; it directs the national government not to sanction an official religion.

free exercise clause

the second clause of the first amendment; it prohibits the U. S. government from interfering with a citizens right to practice his or her religion.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

wide-ranging legislation passed by Congress to outlaw segregation in public facilities and discrimination in employment, education, and voting; created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Which of the following parts of the United States Constitution is incorporated to the states based on the ruling in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) ?

"[T]he right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."