Equal Protection of the Laws Definition Ap Gov

Jim Crow laws – state laws that were ubiquitous throughout the South, requiring that public facilities and housing be separated by race; declared unconstitutional. Equality Protection Clause – A clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits any state from denying equal protection of the law to any person within its jurisdiction. By interpretation, the Fifth Amendment imposes the same restriction on the national government. This clause constitutes the greatest constitutional restriction on the power of governments to discriminate against people on the basis of race, national origin or gender. Poll tax – tax payable for voting; Prohibited for national elections by the Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964) and unconstitutional for all elections in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966). Due Process Clause – A clause in the Fifth Amendment that limits the power of the national government; A similar clause in the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits state governments from depriving a person of life, liberty, or property without due process. White primaries – Democratic Party primaries in the former “one-party South” that were limited to whites and essentially an election; in Smith v. Allwright (1944). Education is a better protection of freedom than a standing army. Edward Everett De jure segregation – Segregation by law. Class action – an action brought by a person or group of persons on behalf of all persons in a similar situation. Majority minority district – A congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; Constitutional, as long as race is not the main factor in the reclassification.

Literacy testing – literacy requirements imposed by some states as a condition of voting, typically used to disqualify black voters in the South; Now illegal. Natural rights – The right of all human beings to dignity and worth; also called human rights. Racial gerrymandering – The delimitation of electoral districts to ensure that members of a particular race are a minority in the electoral district; in Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960). Affirmative action – corrective measures to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women. Commercial Clause – The clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state boundaries or involve more than one state or other nations. De facto segregation – Segregation due to economic or social conditions or personal choices. Restrictive covenant – A provision in a deed of real property that prohibits the sale to a person of a particular race or religion. The judicial application of these acts is unconstitutional.