| Term | Definition |
| Articles of Confederation | loose organization, 1st govt. after Revolution, weak central govt. |
| Land Ordinance 1785 | allowed sale of western lands |
| Shays Rebellion | Massachusetts farmers rebel when they couldn't pay taxes, lost their farms, no army to put down rebellion |
| 3/5 Comprimise | how to count slaves as population. 5 slaves = 3 people |
| Federalists | supporters of a strong national/federal/central govt. |
| Delegated Powers | powers given to federal govt. |
| Reserved Powers | powers saved for states |
| Elastic Cause | Congress shall have power to make all laws necessary and proper to carry into effect..."implied powers" |
| 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 |
| Judicial Review | the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional |
| Republic | govt. whose power is in the hands of people who elect representatives to make laws |
| Northwest Ordinance 1787 | procedures for new states admittance into the union |
| Great Compimise | representation in Congress-lower house, by population upper house, 2 for each state |
| Commerce | govt. can tax imports, not exports. |
| bi-cameral | two house |
| anti-federalists | supporters of states rights |
| Concurrent Powers | powers shared by both federal and state govt. |
| Supremacy Clause | Federal law is supreme over state; law of the land |
| Separation of Power | Gives certain powers to certain branches |
| Impeachment | a formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public official |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge |
| Federalism | power divided between strong central govt. and state govt. |