| Term | Definition |
|---|
| republic | a government in which the citizens rule through elected representatives. |
| republicanism | the belief that government should be based on the consent of the people. |
| Articles of Confederation | a document adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and finally approved by the states in 1781, that outlined the form of government of the new United States. (p. 135) |
| confederation | an alliance permitting states or nations to act together on matters of mutual concern. |
| Land Ordinance of 1785 | a law that established a plan for surveying and selling the federally owned lands west of the Appalacian Mountains. (p. 135) |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | a law that established a procedure for the admission of new states to the union (p. 135) |
| Shay's Rebellion | an uprising of debt-riddenMassachusettes farmers protesting increased state taxes in 1787. (p. 140) |
| Great Compromise | the Constitutional Convention's agreement to establish a two-house national legislature, with all states having equal representation in one house and each state having representation based on its population in the other house. (142) |
| Three-Fifths (3/5ths) Compromise | the Constitutional Convention's agreement to count 3/5ths of a states slaves as population for purposes of representation and taxation. (142) |
| federalism | a political system in which a national governmentand constituent units, such as state governments share power. (143) |
| legislative branch | the branch of government that makes the laws (143) |
| executive branch | the branch of government that administers and enforces the laws. (143) |
| judicial branch | the branch of government that interprets the laws and the Constitution. (143) |
| checks and balances | the provisions in the U.S. constitution that prevent any branch of the U.S. government from dominating the other two branches. (143) |
| electoral college | a group selected by states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress. (144) |
| ratification | the official approval of the Constitution, or of an ammendment, by the states. (146) |
| Federalists | supporters of the Constitution and of a strong national government. (146) |
| Antifederalists | supporters of the Constitution and of a weak national government; the power should be at the state level. (146) |
| The Federalist | a series of essays defending and explaining the constitution. (146) |
| Bill of Rights | the first ten ammendments of the Constitution added in 1791, consisting of a formal list of citizens rights and freedoms. (149) |
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