Chapter 2- AP Government
Order by
22 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Constitution | A nation's basic law |
| Declaration of Independence | The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence. |
| Natural Rights | rights that belong to all human beings from birth |
| Consent of the Governed | the idea that government derives its authority by the sanction of the people |
| Limited Government | The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens |
| Articles of Confederation | the document that created the first central government for the United States; it was replaced by the Constitution in 1789 |
| Shay's Rebellion | a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. |
| U.S. Constitution | The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. |
| Factions | Parties or interest groups that James Madison saw as arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth and attacking as having the potential to cause instability in government |
| New Jersey Plan | The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population |
| Virginia Plan | The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population. |
| Connecticut Compromise | Compromise agreement by states at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in which representation would be based on population and an upper house in which each state would have two senators |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | a court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody |
| Separation of Powers | the division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government |
| Checks and Balances | A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
| Republic | a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives |
| Federalists | supporters of the constitution |
| Anti-Federalists | people who opposed the Constitution |
| Federalist Papers | Series of essays that defended the Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the federal government. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution |
| Marbury v. Madison | This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review |
| Judicial Review | the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional |
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