05 Creating a Constitution, 1781-1789 Flashcards
Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
“a plan for a loose union of the states under the
authority of the Confederation Congress”
Northwest Ordinance
law that provided the basis for governing much of the western territory
duty
a tax on imported goods
recession
an economic slowdown
Shays’s Rebellion
a rebellion by farmers in Massachusetts against the state government
Virginia Plan
plan of government developed at the Constitutional Convention that suggested creating a new document to define the national government, not revising the previous one
New Jersey Plan
plan of government developed at the Constitutional Convention that suggested revising the previous document that defined the national government
Great Compromise
a compromise that solved the problem of representation in Congress
Three-Fifths Compromise
a compromise that solved the problem of how enslaved people were to be counted in determining representation in Congress
popular sovereignty
rule by the people
federalism
a system of government in which government power is divided between the federal government and the state governments
separation of powers
a government in which powers of government are divided among three branches
legislative branch
the branch of government that makes the laws
executive branch
the branch of government that enforces the laws
judicial branch
the branch of government that interprets the laws
checks and balances
a system designed to prevent any one of the three branches from becoming too powerful
veto
to reject a law
impeach
to formally accuse of misconduct
amendment
a change to the Constitution
