AP GOV Chapter 2 Key Terms- Selena Gomez Flashcards
Crispus Attucks
An American man of African and Native American descent who was the first American killed in both the Boston Massacre and the American Revolution
Critical Period
A period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties
Declaration of Independence
An important U.S. document that declared America’s separation from Great Britain
Electoral College
The system established by the Constitution through which the president is chosen by electors from each state, which has as many electoral votes as it has members of Congress
Enumerated Powers
The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution
Federalism
A form of government in which power is divided between the federal government and the states
Federalists
Those who favored a strong national government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution; later became the first U.S. political party
The Federalist Papers
A series of eighty-five political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution
First Continental Congress
Meeting held in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in which fifty-six delegates (from every colony except Georgia) adopted a resolution to the Coercive Act
French and Indian
The American phase of what was called the Seven Years War, fought from 1754 to 1763 between Britain and France with Indian allies
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
George Washington
Widely considered the “Father of the Nation,” he was the commander of the revolutionary armies; served as the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention; and as the United States’ the first president from 1789 to 1797
Great Compromise
The first 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; also made national law supreme
Implied Powers
The powers of the national government derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary proper clause
Inherent Powers
Powers that belong to the president because they can be inferred from the Constitution
James Madison
A key Framer often called the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in conceptualizing the federal government. Co-authored The Federalist Papers; served as secretary of state; served as the fourth U.S. president from 1809 to 1817
John Jay
A member of the Founding generation who was the first Chief Justice of the United States. A diplomat and co-author of the Federalist Papers
Lexington and Concord
The first sites of armed conflict between revolutionaries and British soldiers, remembered for the “shot heard round the world” in 1775
Mercantilism
An economic theory designed to inverse a nation’s wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade
Montesquieu
The French baron and political theorist who first articulated the concept of separation of powers with checks and balances
Necessary and Proper Clause
The final paragraph of Article 1, 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; also called the elastic clause
New Jersey Plan
A framework for the Constitution proposed by a group of small states; it called for a one-house legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue, and a Supreme Court appointed for life
New World
The newer parts of the planet that the Europeans discovered. This consisted of North and South America.
Political Culture
Commonly shared attitudes, behaviors, and core values about how government should operate
Samuel Adams
Cousin of President John Adams and an early leader against the British and loyalist oppressors; he played a key role in developing the Committees of Correspondence and was active in Massachusetts and colonial politics
Second Continental Congress
Meeting that convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, at which it was decided that an army should be raised and George Washington of Virginia was named commander in chief
Separation of Powers
A way of dividing the power of government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each staffed separately, with equality and independence of each branch ensured by the Constitution
Shay’s Rebellion
A rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled and angry farmers led by Daniel Shays marched to Springfield, Massachusetts, and forcible restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms
Social Contract
The belief that governments exist based on the consent of the governed
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Loosely organized groups of patriotic American colonists who were really revolutionaries
Stamp Act Congress
A gathering of nine colonies representatives in 1765 in New York City where a detailed list of Crown violations was drafted; first official meeting of the colonies and the first official step toward creating a unified nation
Supremacy Clause
Portion of Article VI of the Constitution mandating that national law is supreme over (that is, supersedes) all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government
Thomas Jefferson
Principle drafter of the Declaration of Independence; of second vice president of the United States; third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Co-founder of the Democratic-Republican Party created to oppose Federalism
Thomas Paine
The influential writer of Common Sense, a pamphlet that advocated for independence from Great Britain
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention stipulating that three-fifths of the total slave population of each was to be for purposes of determined population for representation in the U.S. House of Representatives
Virginia Plan
A proposed framework for the Constitution favoring large states. It called a bicameral legislature, which would appoint executive and judicial offers
Benjamin Franklin
A brilliant inventor and senior statesman at the Constitutional Convention who urged colonial unity as early as 1754, twenty-two years before the Declaration of Independence
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that challenged the authority of the British government to govern the colonies
Articles of Confederation
The compact between the thirteen original colonies that created a loose league of friendship, with the national government drawing its powers from the states
Constitutional Convention
The meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that was first intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but produced an entirely new document, the U.S. Constitution
Constitution
A document establishing the structure, functions, and limitations of a government
Alexander Hamilton
A key Framer who envisioned a powerful central government, co-authored The Federalist Papers, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury
Checks and Balance
A constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of others
Article I
Vests all legislative powers in the Congress and establishes a bicameral legislature, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives; it also sets out the qualifications for holding office in each house, the terms of office, the methods of selection of representatives and senators and the system of apportionment among the states to determine membership in the House of Representatives
Enumerated Powers
The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution
Article II
Vests the executive power, that is, the authority to execute the laws of the nation, in a president of the United States; 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
Article III
Establishes a Supreme Court defines it jurisdiction
Article IV
Mandates that states honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states. Article IV also includes the mechanisms for admitting new states to the union
Article V
Specifies how amendments can be added to the Constitution
Article VI
Contains the supremacy clause, which asserts the basic primacy of the Constitution and national law over state laws and constitutions
Anti-Federalists
Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government; opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties
