Florida Civics EOC cheat sheet

Florida Civics EOC - Core Civics Reference

• Natural rights (life, liberty, property) come from John Locke; Jefferson restates them in the Declaration of Independence as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with government deriving power from consent of the governed.

• Limited government means power is restricted by law and by a written constitution; popular sovereignty means ultimate authority rests with the people, expressed through voting, elections, and amendments.

• Separation of powers divides national power among legislative (Article I), executive (Article II), and judicial (Article III) branches; checks and balances let each branch limit the others, e.g., veto, override, judicial review, Senate confirmation.

• Federalism splits power between national and state governments: delegated/enumerated powers go to Congress, reserved powers stay with states under the Tenth Amendment, and concurrent powers are shared (taxing, courts, lawmaking).

• The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments (ratified 1791); it limits the national government, and most protections were applied to states through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause (incorporation).

• Key First Amendment tests: establishment clause (no official religion), free exercise, speech protections with exceptions for obscenity, incitement, fighting words, and true threats; symbolic speech such as flag burning is protected (Texas v. Johnson).

• Criminal procedure rules: Fourth Amendment search and seizure with warrant and probable cause, Fifth Amendment self-incrimination and double jeopardy, Sixth Amendment speedy/public trial and counsel (Gideon v. Wainwright), Eighth Amendment no cruel and unusual punishment.

• Voting and citizenship: the Fifteenth (race), Nineteenth (sex), Twenty-Fourth (poll tax), and Twenty-Sixth (age 18) Amendments expanded suffrage; naturalization requires residency, English, civics test, and oath; the Fourteenth Amendment defines citizenship and guarantees equal protection.

• Landmark equal protection cases: Plessy v. Ferguson (separate but equal), Brown v. Board of Education (school segregation unconstitutional), and Marbury v. Madison (judicial review established).