| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Sugar Act | law that set taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonists |
| James Otis | one of the first colonists to protest taxation by Parliament, lawyer from Boston |
| Samuel Adams | believed that Parliament could not tax the colonists without their consent and said that agreeing to the tax would be dangerous |
| Committees of Correspondence | groups that contacted other towns and colonies to share ideas and information about new British laws |
| boycott | protest method where people refuse to buy certain goods |
| Stamp Act | required colonists to pay for stamps whenever they bought paper items |
| Declaratory Act | stated that Parliament had the power to make laws for the colonies in all cases |
| Townshend Acts | placed duties on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea |
| propaganda | information giving only one side in an argument |
| Boston Tea Party | nickname for event where colonists disguised as American Indians snuck onto ships with tea and dumped 342 tea chests overboard |
| Georgia | ______ was the only colony not to send representatives to the First Continental Congress |
| Redcoats | nickname for British soldiers |
| Continental Army | army created to protect colonies |
| George Washington | chosen to command Continental Army |
| siege | a situation where soldiers surround a city or fort |
| Common Sense | name of pamphlet Thomas Paine wrote to argue breaking away from Britain |
| Thomas Paine | author of Common Sense |
| Thomas Jefferson | main author of Declaration of Independence |
| life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness | the three unalienable rights |
| Patriots | colonists who chose to fight for independence |
| Loyalists | colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain |
| constitution | a set of basic principles and laws that state the powers and duties of the government. |
| limited government | government where all leaders have to obey the laws and no one has total power |
| Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom | law that promoted the separation of church and state in Virginia |
| suffrage | voting rights |
| ratification | official approval |
| Northwest Territory | area that is now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin |
| tariffs | taxes on imports or exports |
| interstate commerce | trade between two or more states |
| inflation | increased prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money |
| debtors | people who owe money |
| creditors | people who lend money |
| depression | a period of low economic activity combined with a rise in unemployment |
| Virginia Plan | plan offered a new federal constitution that would give supreme power to the central government, divided the government into three branches, bicameral legislature |
| New Jersey Plan | plan that proposed keeping Congress's structure the same, called for unicameral legislature, each state would have an equal amount of votes |
| Great Compromise | compromise of both plans that stated that in the lower house, each state would have a number of representatives based on its population, and the upper house would have equal representation |
| Three Fifths Compromise | agreement that stated each slave would be counted as three fifths of a person when determining representation |
| federalism | the sharing of power between a central government and the states |
| legislative branch | branch that is responsible for proposing and passing laws |
| executive branch | branch that is responsible for making sure the laws are being carried out |
| judicial branch | branch that is responsible for interpreting the laws |
| checks and balances | system that keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful |
| antifederalists | people who opposed the Constitution |
| federalists | supporters of the Constitution |
| Federalist Papers | essays that told Americans that the new federal government would not overpower the states |
| filibuster | the use of long speeches to prevent a vote on a bill |
| political party | an organization of citizens who wish to influence government by getting their members elected to office |
| platform | a party's statement of its official stand of major public issues |
| canvass | to go door-to-door seeking support candidates |
| selecting candidates, setting goals, providing leadership, acting as watchdogs | four ways that political parties help the government |
| precincts | voting districts |
| patronage | system where party leaders do favors for local party supporters |
| straight ticket | voting for the candidates of only one party |
| split ticket | voting for candidates of more than one party on the same ballot |
| independent voters | people who do not support a particular political party |
| self nomination | declaring that you are running for office |
| write in candidate | asks voters to write his or her name on the ballot |
| caucus | a meeting of party leaders to discuss issues or choose candidates |
| direct primary | election where members of a political party choose candidates to run for office |
| closed primary | primary where a voter must be registered as a party member in order to vote |
| open primary | a primary where voters do not need to declare a party before voting |
| general election | election where voters make final decisions about candidates and issues |
| registration | the process of signing up to become a voter |
| direct mail | sending messages to large groups of people through the mail |
| media | television, radio, newspapers, and magazines |
| bias | favoring one point of view over another |
| Glittering Generalities | using words and phrases that sound appealing and that everyone agrees with |
| Card Stacking | using only facts that support your argument |
| Plain Folks | telling voters you are just like them, an ordinary person with similar needs and ideas |
| Name Calling | attaching negative labels to your opponent |
| Bandwagon | appeals to desire to follow the crowd |
| Transfer | connecting yourself to a respected person, group, or symbol |
| incumbent | the candidate that already holds the office that he or she is running for |
| California | state with the most electoral votes at 55 |
| Texas | state with second most electoral votes at 34 |
| New York | state with third most electoral votes at 31 |
| Illinois, Pennsylvania | states with fifth most electoral votes at 21 (name in alphabetical order) |
| Ohio | state with sixth most electoral votes with 20 |
| First Amendment | amendment that states the freedom of speech and the press |
| Second Amendment | amendment that states the right of people to keep and bear arms |
| Fourth Amendment | amendment that states the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures |
| Fifth Amendment | amendment that states the right that no people shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury |
| Sixth Amendment | amendment that states the right that the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial |
| Eighth Amendment | amendment that states that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. |
| Twelfth Amendment | amendment that states President and Vice President are chosen by Electoral College, you must vote in your district in your state |
| Twenty Third Amendment | amendment that gives the right of voting to citizens in Washington D.C. and that they get votes in the electoral college |
| Twenty Sixth Amendment | amendment that changed the legal voting age from 21 to 18 |
| Florida | state with the fourth most electoral votes at 27 |
| initiative | process by which citizens can propose laws |
| referendum | process by which a law proposed or passed by the state legislature is referred to the voters to approve or reject |
| recall | process for removing elected officials from office |
| Tenth Amendment | amendment that states that powers not given to the federal government are given to the states and the people |
| Thomas Nast | cartoonist who made political party logos |
| donkey | democrat party logo |
| elephant | republican party logo |
| Grand Old Party | GOP stands for ______ |
| Dick Cheney | current president of the senate, Wyoming |
| Robert Byrd | current president pro tempore, West Virginia |
| Harry Reid | current senate majority leader, Nevada |
| Mitch McConnell | current senate minority leader, Kentucky |
| Nancy Pelosi | current speaker of the house, California |
| Steny Hoyer | current house majority leader, Maryland |
| John Boehner | current house minority leader, Ohio |
| Joe Biden | president-designate (future president) of the senate, Delaware |
| policy | plan of action designed to achieve a certain goal |
| constituents | the people a member of Congress represents |
| bill | a proposed law |
| interest groups | groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals, Congress receive support from them |
| lobbyists | people who represent interest groups |
| census | official count of the population |
| congressional district | area a House member represents |
| cloture | vote to end a filibuster |
| budget | a plan for raising and spending money |
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