| Term | Definition |
|---|
| constitution | a document that sets out the laws, principles, organization and processes of a government |
| Bill of Rights | the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution |
| execute | to put to death |
| Articles of Confederation | first American constitution passed in 1777, created a loose alliance with 13 independent states |
| cede | to give up |
| currency | money or any valuable commodity |
| depression | period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment goes up |
| Shay's Rebellion | a 1786 revolt in Massachusetts led by farmers' reaction to high taxes |
| Constitutional Convention | gathering of state representatives on May 25, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation |
| Virginia Plan | plan at the Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with three branches and a two-chamber legislature |
| legislative branch | branch of government that passes laws |
| executive branch | branch of government that carries out laws |
| judicial branch | branch of government that decides if laws are carried out fairly |
| New Jersey Plan | plan at the Constitutional Convention, favored by smaller states, that called for three branches of government with a single chamber legislature |
| compromise | settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to reach and agreement |
| Great Compromise | plan at the Constitutinal Convention that settled the differences between large and small states |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | agreement at the Constitutional Convention that three fifths of the slaves in any state be counted in its population |
| Founding Fathers | leaders who laid the groundwork for the U.S. |
| republic | system of government in which citizens choose representatives to govern them |
| dictatorship | government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority |
| Magna Carta | signed in 1215, a British document that contained two basic ideas: monarchs themselves have to obey laws, and citizens have basic rights |
| English Bill of Rights | a 1689 document that guaranteed the rights of English citizens |
| separation of powers | principle by which the powers of government are divided among separate branches |
| Federalists | supporters of a strong federal government |
| Antifederalists | people who opposed the Constitution and a strong federal government |
| The Federalist Papers | series of essays by Federalists James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in support of ratifying the Constitution |
| amend | change |
| impeachment | to bring charges of serious wrongdoing against a public official |
| ratify | to approve |
| cabinet | group of officials who head government departments and advise the President |
| perjury | to lie under oath |
| executive order | the power of the President to establish a law or provision |
| incumbent | the person currently holding a specific office |
| bicameral | composed of two legistlative branches or chambers |
| capital punishment | the death penalty for certain very serious crimes such as murder or treason |
| Land Ordinance of 1785 | law setting up a system for settling the Northwest Territory |
| Northwest Ordinance | a 1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory |
| John Locke | wrote Two Treatises of Government; believed in natural rights and the fair agreement between the ruler and the ruled |
| Baron de Montesquieu | wrote The Spirit of the Laws : developed the idea of the separation of powers into three branches of government |
| Benjamin Franklin | founding father and an important delegate at the Constitutional Convention |
| James Madison | "Father of the Constitution" and an important delegate at the Constitutional Convention |
| popular sovereignty | in the mid-1800s, a term referring to the idea that each territory could decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery |
| federalism | a principle of the US Constitution that establishes the division of power between the federal government and the states |
| override | to overrule, as when Congress overrules a presidential veto |
| electoral college | group of electors from every state who meet every four years to vote for the President and Vice President of the US |
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