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125 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Normative concept
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a prescription for how governments ought to treat residents and how those residents ought to act; precise legal status
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Jus soil
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"right of soil"
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Jus sanguinis
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"right by blood"
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Immigrants
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citizens or subjects of one country who move to another country to live or to work
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Naturalization
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the legal process of acquiring citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth
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Asylum
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protection or sanctuary, especially from political prosecution
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Refugees
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individuals who flee an area or country because of persecution on the basis of race, nationality, religion, group membership, or political opinion
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Guest worker program
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workers can enter the country from Mexico to work temporarily in industries that need low-wage labor
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Political culture
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the broad pattern of ideas, beliefs, and values about citizens and government held by a population
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Values
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central ideas, principles, or standards that most people agree are important
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Procedural guarantees
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government assurance that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly, with no promise of particular outcomes
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Individualism
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belief that what is good for society is based on what is good for individuals
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Ideologies
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sets of beliefs about politics and society that help people make sense of their world
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Economic liberals
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those who favor an expanded government role in the economy but a limited role in the social order
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Economic conservatives
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those who favor a strictly procedural government role in the economy and social order
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Libertarians
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those who favor a minimal government role in any sphere
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Social liberals
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those who favor greater control of the economy and the social order to bring about greater equality and to regulate the effects of progress
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Social conservatives
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those who endorse limited government control of the economy but considerable government intervention to realize a traditional social order; based on religious values hierarchy rather than equality
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Tea Party Movement
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anti-government; anti-corporation, pro-American
mostly angry, fed by emotional appeals of conservative talk show hosts and others, whose rhetoric took political debate out of the range of logic and analysis and into the world of emotional drama and angry invective many are social conservatives and libertarians |
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Liberals
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associated with Democratic Party
people who generally favor government action and view change as progress argue that economic market cannot regulate itself and left alone is susceptible to depressions and recessions positive view of government - good it can do in addressing economic and social problems |
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Conservatives
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associated with the Republicans
people who generally favor limited government and are cuatious about change reflect a belief that government is not to be trusted with too much power and is not a competent economic factor private property is sacrosanct and should remain wholly private have reacted against the increasing role of the government in the economy |
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Feudalism
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a social system in which a rigid social and political hierarchy was based on the ownership of land, but land ownership was restricted to very few people
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Mercantilism
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nations competed for world's resources through trade, and colonies were a primary source of raw materials for manufacturing
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Popular sovereignty
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ultimate authority (power to govern) is in the hands of the people
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Declaration of Independence
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political document that dissolved the colonial ties between the US and Britain
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Constitution
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any establishment of rules that makes up a government
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Articles of Confederation
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first constitution
rules set up by the Articles show the states' jealousy of their own power established "firm league of friendship" among the 13 American states, but they did not empower a central government to act effectively on behalf of those states replaced because without a strong central government, they were unable to provide the economic and political stability that the founders wanted |
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Confederation
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established a system in which each state would retain almost all of its own power to do what it wanted
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Popular tyranny
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unrestrained power of the people
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Shay's Rebellion
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a grassroots uprising by armed MA farmers protesting foreclosures
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Constitutional convention
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the assembly of 55 delegates in the summer of 1787 to recast the Articles of Confederation; result was US Constitution
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Federalism
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gives the central government its own source of power and then to the states
political system where authority is divided between different levels of gov't; US federalism refers to the relationship between national gov't and states |
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Federalists
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supporters of the Constitution
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Anti-Federalists
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people against the Constitution
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Virginia Plan
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proposal at Constitutional Convention that congressional representation be based on population
favored large states later became House of Representatives |
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New Jersey Plan
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proposal at Constitutional Convention that congressional representation be equal
favored small states later became the Senate |
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Great Compromise
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constitutional solution to congressional representation; equal votes in Senate; votes by population in House
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3/5 Compromise
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each slave counts as 3/5 of a person; 5 slaves represents one person
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Ratification
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being voted on and approved by state conventions in at least 9 states
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Federalist Papers
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a series of essays written to build support for the ratification of the Constitution
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Federalist No. 10
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gov't has the power to control different groups
explains that it is positive with a well-constructed union whereas Articles didn't have that new stronger gov't is an advantage |
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Federalist No. 51
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covers the way laws govern people and the way gov't will regulate itself and how external forces will regulate the gov't
realistic approach: there are bad things in the world - we need a central gov't check on power; make sure one part of gov't can check power of another part you can't take away so much power that gov't can still control the citizens make sure gov't is in place to control people and itself |
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Factions
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groups of people motivated by a common interest, but one different from the rest of the country as a whole
has the potentially to be good or bad depending on if it is in the majority |
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Bicameral legislature
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two chambers
legislators elected by people for 2-6 years |
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Pure democracy
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small political system in which citizens make/administer own laws
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Republic
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system in which larger # of citizens delegate/assign tasks of governing to a smaller body
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House of Representatives
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based on population
must be 25 years old citizen for at least 7 years terms last 2 years |
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Senate
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2 senators from each state
must be 30 years old citizen for at least 9 years term lasts 6 years |
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Unicameral legislation
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one legislative chamber
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Judicial power
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the power to interpret laws and judge whether the laws have been broken
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Judicial review
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allows the Supreme Court to rule that an act of Congress or executive branch is unconstitutional
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Legislative supremacy
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an alternative to judicial review; acceptance of legislative acts as the final law of the land
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Separation of powers
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legislative, executive, and judicial powers are split among different groups to avoid abuse of power
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Checks and balances
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allows each branch to police others, check for abusing and balancing the powers of gov't
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Fusion of powers
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alternative to separation of powers, combining or blending branches of government
*Parliamentary system* |
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Enumerated powers
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congressional powers named in the constitution
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"Necessary and proper" clause
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constitutional authorization for Congress to make any law required to carry out its powers (aka elastic clause)
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Supremacy clause
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Constitution and laws made in accordance
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Concurrent powers
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powers shared by both the federal and state governments
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Dual federalism
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federal system where national and state governments are responsible for separate policy areas
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Cooperative federalism
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federal system where national and state governments share responsibilities for most domestic policy areas
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Unitary system
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central gov't has all the power
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Confederal system
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local units hold all power
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Nullification
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idea that states can render national laws null if they disagreed with them
national government never recognized doctrine |
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Devolution
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power shift from federal government to states
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Categorical grants
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provides very detailed instructions, regulations, and compliance requirements for states in specific policy areas
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Block grants
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combines broad program requirements and regulations with funding from federal treasury
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Unfunded Mandates
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imposes specific policy requirements on states but doesn't provide a way to pay for those activities
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Amendability
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ability to change Constitution to grow and adapt to new circumstances Constitution enhances opportunities for participation
creates federal system participation can flourish at state and local levels |
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Initiative
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citizens can force a constitutional amendment or state law to be placed on the ballot
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Referendum
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an election where bills passed by state legislatures are submitted to voters for approval
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Recall elections
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a way for citizens to remove elected officials from office before their terms are up
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Direct democracy
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makes government more responsive to short-term fluctuations in public opinion
sometimes deny politicians necessary time to take long-term approach to problem solving policy making |
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Civil liberties
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individual freedoms guaranteed to the people and protected by government
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Judicial review
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enables Supreme Court to decide if laws of Congress or the states are consistent with the Constitution and if not invalidate them
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Habeas corpus
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the right of an accused person to be brought before a judge and informed of the charges and evidence against him/her
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Ex post facto laws
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laws that criminalize an action after it occurs
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Incorporation
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Supreme Court action making the protections of the Bill of Rights applicable to the states
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Selective incorporation
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incorporation of rights on a case-by-case basis
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Establishment clause
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1st amendment guarantee that the government will not create and support an official state church
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Separationist
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supporters of a "wall of separation" between church and state
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Accommodationists
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supporters of government non-preferential accommodation of religion
state should not be separate from religion but should accommodate it without showing a preference for any particular religion |
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Lemon test
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three-pronged rule used by the courts to determine whether the establishment clause is violated
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Free exercise clause
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1st amendment guarantee that citizens may freely engage in the religious activities of their choice
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Police power
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the ability of the government to protect its citizens and maintain social order
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Compelling state interest
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a fundamental state purpose, which must be shown before the law can limit some freedoms or treat some groups of people differently
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Sedition
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speech that criticizes the government to promote rebellion
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Espionage Act
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made it a crime to "willfully" obstruct the recruiting or enlistment service of the US
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Bad tendency test
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rule used by the courts that allows speech to be punished if it leads to punishable actions
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Clear and present danger test
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rule used by the courts that allows language to be regulated only if it presents an immediate and urgent danger
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Imminent lawless action test
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rule used by the courts that restricts speech only if it is aimed at producing or is likely to produce imminent lawless action
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Freedom of assembly
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the right of people to gather peacefully and to petition the government
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Miller test
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rule used by the courts where the definition of obscenity must be based o local standards
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Political correctness
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the idea that language shapes behavior and therefore should be regulated to control its social effects
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Prior restraint
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censorship or punishment for the expression of ideas before the ideas are printed or spoken
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Libel
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written defamation of character
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Due process of law
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guarantee that laws will be fair and reasonable and that citizens suspected of breaking the law will be treated fairly
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Exclusionary rule
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rule created by the Supreme Court that evidence illegally seized may not be used to obtain a conviction
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Good faith exception
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evidence is admitted to a criminal trial, even if obtained illegally, f the police are relying on a warrant that appears to be valid at the time or on a law that appears to be constitutional or on a warrant that is obtained in error
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Civil rights
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citizenship rights guaranteed to the people and protected by the government
guaranteed by 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th amendments |
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Suspect classification
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classification such as race, for which any discriminatory law must be justified by a compelling state interest
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Strict scrutiny
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a heightened standard of review used by the Supreme Court to assess the constitutionality of laws that limit some freedoms or that make a suspect classification
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Intermediate standard of review
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standard of review used by the Court to evaluate laws that make a quasisuspect classification
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Minimum rationality test
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standard of review used by the Court to evaluate laws that make a nonsuspect classification
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Black codes
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a series of laws in the post-Civil War South designed to restrict the rights of former slaves before the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments
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Poll taxes
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taxes levied as a qualification for voting
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Literacy test
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test requiring reading or comprehension skills as a qualification for voting
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Grandfather clauses
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provisions exempting from voting restrictions the descendants of those able to vote in 1867
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Jim Crow laws
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southern laws designed to circumvent the 13th, 14th, 15th, amendments and to deny blacks rights and bases other than race
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De jure discrimination
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discrimination arising from or supported by the law
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De facto discrimination
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discrimination that is the result not of law but rather of tradition and habit
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Busing
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achieving racial balance by transporting students to school across neighborhood boundaries
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Affirmative action
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a policy of creating opportunities for members of certain groups as a substantive remedy for past discrimination
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English-only movements
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efforts to make English the official language of the US
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Don't Ask Don't Tell
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members of the armed forces did not need to disclose their sexual orientation, but if they revealed it, or the military otherwise found out, they could be disciplined or discharged
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
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reinforced voting laws, allowed the attorney general to file school desegregation lawsuits, permitted the president to deny federal money to state and local programs that practiced discrimination, prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and i employment, set up the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints about job discrimination
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
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disallowed discriminatory tests like literacy tests and provided for federal examiners to register voters throughout much of the south
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Plessy v. Ferguson
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separate but equal
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Brown v. Board
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declared separate but equal unconstitutional
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James Madison
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Madisonian government
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Richard Ellis
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looking at political culture through a lens
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John Kingdon
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values and preferences
values direct preferences |
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Sidney Hook
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democracy is a political process
allows for different types of democracy room for involvement given to the people relies on democratic institutions and structure |
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Howard Zinn
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formal institutions
government has responsibility of making choices quality of life |
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Bill of Rights
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1. Freedom of speech, expression
2. Right to bear arms 3. Quartering soldiers 4. Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures 5. Right to know what you're on trial for; no double jeopardy 6. Right to a speedy and public trial 7. Bail has to be more than $20 8. No cruel and unusual punishment 9. Other rights aside from the ones listed do exist, and just because they aren't listed doesn't mean they can't be violated 10. Any power not granted to the federal government resides with the states and/or the people |