26 terms

Terms	Definitions
What is suffrage?	The right to vote
What was our country's first Constitution?	The Articles of Confederation
What is ratification?	Official approval
What movements influenced ideas for America's government?	The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening
What documents influenced ideas for America's government?	Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom
Why did we need a new constitution?	The Articles of Confederation did not give the national government enough power.
What is a tariff?	A tax on imports and exports
How many branches are in our government?	3- executive, judicial, legislative
What is federalism?	A sharing of power between states and national government
Who is responsible for proposing and passing laws?	Congress/legislative branch
What is the purpose of the checks and balance system?	Keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful
What is a veto?	The executive (President) rejection of a bill
How can the Congress reverse a President's decision?	With a 2/3 majority vote over the President's veto
How can the judicial branch check the legislative branch?	By declaring a law unconstitutional
How can the executive branch override a new law created by the legislative branch?	The president can veto the law
How many senators does each state get?	2
How many representatives does each state get?	It depends on the number of people in the state
Who served as President of the Constitutional Convention?	George Washington
How did the Great Compromise combine elements of the Virginia and New Jersey plans?	It created a bicameral/two-house legislature
When did the Constitution go into effect?	June 1788
What is an amendment?	An official change
A proposed amendment must have what kind of agreement/vote?	Approved by a 2/3 majority of Congress (The Senate and House of Representatives)
An amendment must be ratified by what kind of agreement/vote?	3/4 of the state legislatures
What is the Bill of Rights?	The first ten amendments of the Constitution
What rights do the Bill of Rights protect?	Citizen's rights
How did the Federalist papers try to assure Americans about the Constitution?	They stated that the national government would not overpower the states

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• "What is suffrage?" image
• "What was our country's first Constitution?" image
• "What is ratification?" image
• "What movements influenced ideas for America's government?" image
• "What documents influenced ideas for America's government?" image
• "Why did we need a new constitution?" image
• "What is a tariff?" image
• "How many branches are in our government?" image
• "What is federalism?" image
• "Who is responsible for proposing and passing laws?" image
• "What is the purpose of the checks and balance system?" image
• "What is a veto?" image
• "How can the Congress reverse a President's decision?" image
• "How can the judicial branch check the legislative branch?" image
• "How can the executive branch override a new law created by the legislative branch?" image
• "How many senators does each state get?" image
• "How many representatives does each state get?" image
• "Who served as President of the Constitutional Convention?" image
• "How did the Great Compromise combine elements of the Virginia and New Jersey plans?" image
• "When did the Constitution go into effect?" image
• "What is an amendment?" image
• "A proposed amendment must have what kind of agreement/vote?" image
• "An amendment must be ratified by what kind of agreement/vote?" image
• "What is the Bill of Rights?" image
• "What rights do the Bill of Rights protect?" image
• "How did the Federalist papers try to assure Americans about the Constitution?" image

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