APGovCh.2.Justin Hall Flashcards
Alexander Hamilton
United State statesman and the leader of the Federalists. First Secretary of the Treasury.
Anti-Federalists
U.S. citizen that opposed the ratification of the Constitution. They favored strong state governments
New World
The Western Hemisphere of Earth, also called the Americas, which was unknown to Europeans before 1492
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
French and Indian War
The American phase of what was called the Seven Years War, fought from 1754 to 1763 between Britain and France with Indian Allies
Mercantalism
An economic theory designed to increase a nation´s wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade
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.
Stamp Act Congress
A gathering of nine colonial 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.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Loosely organized groups of patriotic American colonists who were early revolutionaries
Crispus Attucks
An African American and first American to die in what became known as the Boston Massacre in 1770
First Continental Congress
Meeting help in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in which fifty-six delegates (from every colony except Georgia) adopted a resolution in opposition to the Coercive Acts
Lexington and Concord
The first sites of armed conflict between revolutionaries and British soldiers, remembered for the ¨shot heard round the world¨
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.
Thomas Paine
The influential writer of Common Sense, a pamphlet that advocated for independence from Great Britain
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that challenged the authority of the British government to govern the colonies
Thomas Jefferson
Principle drafter of the Declaration of Independence; second vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Co-founder of the Democratic-Republican party created to oppose federalists
Declaration of Independence
Documented drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that proclaimed the right of the American colonies to separate from Great Britain
Social Contract Theory
Belief that governments exist based on the consent of the governed
Political culture
Commonly shared attitudes, behaviors, and core values about how the government should operate
Articles of Confederation
Compact between the thirteen original colonies that created a loose league of friendship, with the national government drawing its powers from the states
Critical Period
Chaotic period from 1781 to 1789 after the American Revolution during which the former colonies were governed under the Articles of Confederaton
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 forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms
Constitutional Convention
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
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´ first President from 1789 to 1797
Constitution
A document establishing the structure, functions, and limitations of a government
Virginia Plan
Proposed framework for the constitution favoring large states. It called for one-house legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue, and a Supreme Court appointed for life
Great Compromise
The 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; also made national law supreme.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention stipulating that three-fifths of the total slave population of each state was to be for purposes of determining population for representatives in the u.s. house of reps
Electoral College
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
Montesquieu
French baron and political theorist who first articulated the concept of separation of powers with checks and balances
federalism
Distribution of constitutional authority between state govs and the national governments, with different powers and functions exercised by both
Separation of powers
Way of dividing the power of government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
checks and balances
Constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others
Article I
Vests all legislative powers in Congress and establishes a bicameral legislature
Enumerated Powers
The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article I, section 8 of the constitution.
Necessary and Proper Clause
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 government derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause
Article II
Vests the executive power, that is, the authority to execute the laws of the nation, in a president of the United States
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 sates honor the laws and judicial mandates of other states
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Section of Article IV ensures that 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 basic primacy of the Constitution and national law over state laws and constitutions
Supremacy Clause
Portion of Article VI that mandates that national law is supreme over all other laws
Federalists
Those who favored a strong government and supported the proposed U.S. Constitution; later became the first political party
James Madison
¨Father of the U.S. Constitution¨ Served as fourth President of the United States
John Jay
Member of the founding generation who was the first Chief Justice of the United States. A diplomat and co-author of the Federalist papers
The Federalist Papers
Series of eighty-five political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Bill of Rights
First 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties
New Jersey Plan
Framework for the constitution proposed by a group of small states. Called for one house legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue, and a Supreme Court appointed for life.
