| Term | Definition |
|---|
| 2nd Continental Congress | first national government in American history |
| 2nd Continental Congress-- Accomplishments | wrote the Declaration of Independence |
| 2nd Continental Congress-- Accomplishments | led nation through the American Revolution |
| 2nd Continental Congress-- Accomplishments | governed under the Articles of Confederation |
| Articles of Confederation | the first written constitution of national government in America |
| Articles of Confederation | failed because the government it created was too weak |
| the Constitutional Convention | group of wealthy white men who met in Philadelphia at Independence Hall in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation |
| the Constitutional Convention-- the Framers | wrote the Constitution of the United States of America |
| the Great Compromise | a compromise between the big states and the small states over representation in Congress |
| the Great Compromise-- results | the big states got the House of Representatives, with representation according to population, and the small states got the Senate, with two representatives each |
| The 3/5ths Compromise | a compromise between the Northern and Southern states over the counting of slaves for representation purposes |
| the 3/5ths Compromise-- result | agreed that each slave was to be counted as 3/5ths of a person |
| The Federalist Party | the first political party in American history |
| the Federalist Party-- key views | favored the new Constitution, with its stronger federal government and weaker state governments |
| the Federalist Party-- key figures | George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton |
| the AntiFederalist Party | the second political party in American history |
| the AntiFederalist Party-- key views | opposed the new Constitution-- preferred structure of the old Articles of Confederation, with weaker federal government and stronger state governments |
| the AntiFederalist Party-- key figures | Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr |
| The Bill of Rights | the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution |
| the Bill of Rights-- contents | they lay out the basic rights of all Americans |
| Major problems of the Articles of Confederation | No power to tax-- No power to raise troops |
| Major problems of the Articles of Confederation | No executive branch, thus no leadership-- All states had to agree for anything to pass Congress |
| The Federalist Papers | a collection of essays making powerful arguments in support of the new Constitution |
| The Federalist Papers-- authors | JamesMadison and Alexander Hamilton |
| Anarchy | a state of chaos resulting from the lack of effective government |
| Framers | the term for the guys who wrote the Constitution of the United States |
| amendment | an addition or change to the Constitution |
| Direct democracy | a system in which everyone votes on every issue |
| Representative democracy | a system in which the people elect representatives, who then vote for them on issues |
| Article 1 | lays out the structure and powers of the legislative branch |
| Article 2 | lays out the structure and powers of the executive branch |
| Article 3 | lays out the structure and powers of the Judicial branch |
| primary author of The Declaration of Independence | Thomas Jefferson |
| "the father of the American Constitution | James Madison |
| the Constitution of the United States | "the supreme law of the land" |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace