APGOVCH.2: The Constitution Key Terms Flashcards
Alexander Hamiltion
an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Anti-Federalists
a movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution.
Article I
establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress.
Article II
section that makes the executive branch of the government.
Article III
establishes the judicial branch of the federal government.
Article IV
shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.
Article V
describes the process whereby the Constitution, the nation’s frame of government, may be altered.
Article VI
establishes the laws and treaties of the United States made in accordance with it as the supreme law of the land, forbids a religious test as a requirement for holding a governmental position and holds the United States under the Constitution responsible for debts incurred …
Articles of Confederation
the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
Benjamin Franklin
an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
Bill of Rights
first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.
Checks and Balances
counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.
Common Sense
pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.
Constitution
a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.
Constitutional Convention
a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution.
Crispus Attucks
black man, became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre.
Critical Period
a period during someone’s development in which a particular skill or characteristic is believed to be most readily acquired.
Declaration of Independence
the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain.
Electoral College
a body of electors established by the United States Constitution, constituted every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States.
Enumerated Powers
The powers of the federal government that are specifically described in the Constitution, describe how a central government with three distinct branches can operate effectively.
Federalism
mixed or compound mode of government, combining a general government with regional governments in a single political system.
Federalists
a member or supporter of the Federalist Party.
The Federalist Papers
a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym “Publius” to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution.
First Continental Congress
a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution.
French and Indian War
A series of military engagements between Britain and France in North America between 1754 and 1763. American phase of the Seven Years War.
Full Faith and Credit Clause
the obligation under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution for each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.
George Washington
1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution
Great Compromise
an agreement made between large and small states which partly defined the representation each state would have under the United States Constitution, as well as in legislature. (conneticut compromise, sherman compromise)
Implied Powers
powers of U.S. government which have not been explicitly granted by the Constitution but that is implied by the necessary and proper clause to be delegated for the purpose of carrying out the enumerated powers.
Inherent Powers
powers that Congress and the president need in order to get the job done right. logical part of the powers delegated to Congress and the president.
James Madison
member of the Continental Congress. A leader in the drafting of the Constitution, he worked tirelessly for its adoption by the states, contributing several essays to The Federalist Papers. He served as president from 1809 to 1817, after Thomas Jefferson.
John Jay
American statesman, Patriot, diplomat, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, negotiator and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, second Governor of New York, and the first Chief Justice of the United States.
Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775.
Mercantilism
the economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism.
Montesquieu
French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755)
Necessary and Proper Clause
section of the United States Constitution that enables Congress to make the laws required for the exercise of its other powers established by the Constitution.
New Jersey Plan
proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787. (small state plan and paterson plan)
New World
one of the names used for the majority of Earth’s Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas
Political Culture
widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between citizens and government, and citizens to one another.
Samuel Adams
American Revolutionary leader and patriot; an organizer of the Boston Tea Party and signer of the Declaration of Independence (1722-1803)
Second Continental Congress
convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting in the spring of 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Separation of Powers
The doctrine of dividing powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The principle of splitting governmental powers between separate branches of the government, none of which are to infringe upon the powers of the other.
Shay’s Rebellion
armed uprising in Massachusetts, mostly in and around Springfield during 1786 and 1787.
Social Contract Theory
theory or model that originated during the Age of Enlightenment and usually concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act Stamp Act
Stamp Act Congress
new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed.
Supremacy Clause
United States Constitution’s Article VI, stating that all laws made furthering the Constitution and all treaties made under the authority of the United States are the “supreme law of the land.”
Thomas Jefferson
political leader of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; one of the Founding Fathers; the leader of the Democratic-Republican party.
Thomas Paine
American Revolutionary leader and pamphleteer (born in England) who supported the American colonist’s fight for independence and supported the French Revolution (1737-1809)
Three-Fifths Compromise
compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention.
Virginia Plan
proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. Propose a structure of government to the Philadelphia Convention
