Chapter 2
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47 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Constitution | Written plan for government. |
| Bicameral | were divided into two parts,or houses. |
| Confederation | is a group of individual state governments that band together for common purpose. |
| Articles of Confederation | The first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. The Articles established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures. |
| Ratify | approved the Articles of Confederation |
| Shay's Rebellion | was led by Daniel Shays it was a protest against the land being taken away and the taxes that they had just worked so hard to get rid of |
| Constitutional Convention | a meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution |
| Virginia Plan | Virginia delegate James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population |
| New Jersey Plan | New Jersey delegate William Peterson's plan of government, in which states got an equal number of representatives in Congress |
| Great Compromise | a compromise is a way of resolving disagreements in which each side gives up something but gains something else. |
| 3/5 Compromise | delegates agreed that every five enslaved person would count as three free persons. |
| Electoral College | a group of people who would be named by each state legislature. |
| Federalists | Supporters of the document. |
| Federalism | a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national,government and the states. |
| Anti-Federalists | those who opposed the constitution. |
| Preamble | an introduction that states and goals and purposes of the government. |
| legislative branch | the branch of government that makes the laws. |
| executive branch | law enforce branch of government |
| judicial branch | part of government that interprets the laws and sees that they are fairly applied. |
| amendment | Any change in the Constitution. |
| implied powers | powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the constitution |
| popular sovereignty | the idea that the power of government lies with the people. |
| rule of law | the law applies to everyone. |
| separation of law | division of authority. |
| 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. |
| expressed powers | the powers specifically granted to the national government into three types. |
| reserved powers | Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people |
| concurrent powers | powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments |
| Supremacy Clause | The constitutional provision that makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws. |
| Civil Liberties | freedom to think and act without government interference |
| Censorship | banning offensive or alarming information |
| Petition | harming someone's reputation by speaking lies |
| Slander | harming someone's reputation by printing lies |
| Libel | formal request, often in the form of a brief or letter |
| Search Warrant | court order allowing police to search private property and gather |
| indictment | a formal document written for a prosecuting attorney charging a person with some offense |
| grand jury | a group of citizens that decides whether there is sufficient evidence to accuse someone of a crime |
| double jeopardy | being tried twice for the same crime |
| Due process | following established legal procedures |
| Eminent domain | right of government to take private property for public use |
| Bail | the legal system that allows an accused person to be temporarily released from custody (usually on condition that a sum of money guarantees their appearance at trial) |
| Suffrage | right to vote |
| Poll taxes | sum of money paid before casting a ballot |
| Discrimination | unfair treatment of certain groups because of prejudice |
| Segregation | social separation of the races |
| Civil Rights | freedom of full citizenship and equality under the law |
| Affirmative action | programs that try to make up for past discrimination |
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