AP Gov CH.2 Jeron Tainatongo Flashcards
New World
The Western Hemisphere of Earth, also called the Americas, which was unknown to European before 1492..
Benjamin Franklin
an inventor and senior statesman at the Constitutional Convention who urged colonial unity as early as 1745.
French and Indian War
The American phase of the Seven Years War, fought from 1754-1756.
mercantilism
Economic theory designed to increase the nations wealth through the development of commercial industry.
Samuel Adams
played a key role in developing the Committees of Corresponding and was active in Massachusetts and colonial politics.
Stamp Act Congress
gathering of 9 colonial representatives in 1765 in NY where a detailed list of Crown violations was drafted.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Loosely organized groups of patriotic American colonists who were early revolutions.
Crispus Attucks
an African American who was the first American to die in the Boston Massacre in 1770.
First Continental Congress
Meeting in Philadelphia from September 5-October 26 1771, in which 56 delegates adopted a resolution in opposition to the Coercive Acts.
Lexington and Concord
First sites of armed conflict between revolutionists and British soldiers in 1775
Second Continental Congress
Meeting that convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, where it decided that an army should be raised and George Washington
Thomas Paine
Writer of Common Sense, which advocated for independence from Great Britain
Common Sense
Challenged the authority of the British gov to govern the colonies.
Thomas Jefferson
Principle drafter of the Declaration of Independence; second vice president of the U.S.; 3rd president of the U.S. from 1801-1809.
Declaration of Independence
Doc drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that proclaimed the right of the American colonies to separate from Great Britain.
social contract theory
beliefs that gov exist based on the consent of the governed.
political culture
Shared attitudes,behaviors, and core values about how gov should operate.
Article of Confederation
Compact between the 13 original colonies that created a loose league of friendship, with the national gov drawing its power from the states.
Critical Period
Period from 1781-1789 after the American Revolution during which the former colonies were governed under the Articles of Confederation.
Shay’s Rebellion
Rebellion of farmers led by Danial Shays marched to Springfield and restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms.
Constitution Convention
Meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that was first intended to revise the Articles of Confederation.
George Washington
Commander of the revolutionary armies
constitution
Document establishing the structure,function, and limitation of a government.
Virginia Plan
Proposed framework for the Constitution favoring large states. It called for a bicameral legislature, which would appoint executive and judicial officers.
New Jersey Plan
Framework for the Constitution proposed by a group of small states; it called for a one-house legislature with one vote for each state.
Great Compromise
Final decision of the Constitutional Convention to create a two-house legislature, with the lower house elected by the people and powers divided between the two houses.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement that three-fifths of the total slave population of each state was to be for purpose of determining population for representation.
Electoral College
System where the president is chosen by the electors from each state.
Alexander Hamilton
Framer who envisioned a powerful central gov., and served as the first Secretary of the Treasure.
Montesquieu
French baron and political theorist who first articulated the concept of separation of powers with checks and balances.
federalism
The distribution of constitutional authority between state government and the national government with different powers and functions exercised by both.
separation of powers
A way of dividing the powers of government among the legislative,executive, and judicial branches, each staffed separately, with equality and independence of each branch ensured by the Constitution.
checks and balances
a constitutional mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of gov some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others.
Article I
Vest all legislative powers in the Congress and established in bicameral legislature, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
enumerated powers
The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article I, section 8 of the Constitution.
necessary and proper clause
Final paragraph of Article I,section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the authority to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the Constitution.
implied powers
the powers of the national gov derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause.
Article II
Vests the executive power in a president of the U.S.; section 1 sets the president’s term of office at four years and explains the Electoral College and states the qualifications for office and describes a mechanism to replace the president in case of death, disability, or removal from office.
inherent powers
Powers that belong to the president because they can be inferred from the Constitution.
Article III
Establishes the Supreme Court and defines its jurisdiction.
Article IV
Mandates that states honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states.
full faith and credit clause
Section of Article IV of the Constitution that ensures judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state.
Article V
Specifies how amendments can be added to the Constitution.
Article VI
Contains the supremacy clause, which asserts the basics primacy of the Constitution and national law over state laws and constitutions.
supremacy clause
Portion of Article VI of the Constitution mandating that national law is supreme over all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government.
Federalists
Those who favored a stronger national gov and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution; later became the first U.S. political party.
Anti-Federalists
Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government; opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
James Madison
A key Framer often called the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in conceptualizing the federal government.
John Jay
Member of the Founding generation who was the first Chief Justice of the U.S.
The Federalist Papers
A series of 85 political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties.
