Brooke The Constitution Flashcards
Learn the Constitution and vocabulary involving that
Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks ( c. 1723 – March 5, 1770) was an American stevedore of African and Native American descent, widely regarded as the first person killed in the Boston massacre and thus the first American killed in the American Revolution.
Critical Period
refers to the 1780s, a time right after the American Revolution where the future of the newly formed nation was in the balance.
Declaration of Independence
a 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a free and independent nation
Electoral College
a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
Enumerated Powers
specific powers granted to congress under Article I, section 8, of the constitution; these powers include taxation, coinage of money, regulation of commerce, and the authority to provide for a national defense.
Federalism
A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituant political units.
Federalist
supporters of the stronger central govt. who advocated the ratification of the new constitution
The Federalist Papers
This collection of essays by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, explained the importance of a strong central government. It was published to convince New York to ratify the Constitution.
First Continental Congress
the legislative assembly composed of delegates from the rebel colonies who met during and after the American Revolution
French and Indian War
War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution.
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Section of Article IV of the constitution that ensure judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state.
George Washington
The first president of the United States, and the commanding general of the victorious American army in the Revolutionary War. The best known of the Founding Fathers.
Great Compromise
A state’s representation in the House of Representation would be based on population; Two senators for each state; all bills would originate in the house; direct taxes on states were to be assessed according to population
Implied powers
powers derived from enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause. These powers are not stated specifically but are considered to be reasonably implied through the exercise of the delegated powers
Inherent powers
hose powers that Congress and the president need in order to get the job done right. Although not specified in the Constitution, they are reasonable powers that are a logical part of the powers delegated to Congress and the president.
James Madison
James Madison wrote the first drafts of the U.S. Constitution, co-wrote the Federalist Papers and sponsored the Bill of Rights. He established the Democrat-Republican Party with President Thomas Jefferson, and became president himself in 1808.
John Jay
An important American statesman and a Founding Father of the United States. He served in a variety of capacities throughout his lifetime, but is most commonly known for being the first Chief Justice of the United States.
Lexington and Concord
First battles of the Revolutionary War. These battles happened in April of 1775.
Mercantilism
Economic system aimed at self-reliance and strengthening the national economy by accumulating bullion, gaining colonies, and establishing a favorable balance of trade.
Montesquieu
French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers (1689-1755).
Necessary and Proper Clause
A 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
The Plan called for each state to have one vote in Congress instead of the number of votes being based on population.
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
A strong opponent of British taxation, Adams helped formulate resistance to the Stamp Act and played a vital role in organizing the Boston Tea Party.
Second Continental Congress
Group that met in Philadelphia in May 1775 to make decisions after the Battle of Lexington & Concord. John Hancock was President of this group.
Separation of Powers
A fundamental principle of the United States government, whereby powers and responsibilities are divided among the legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch.
Shay’s Rebellion
led by Daniel Shays, erupted between 1786 -1787 in Massachusetts. The causes of the revolt, which became known as Shays Rebellion was money - or the lack of money. The American Revolutionary War had resulted in massive War Debts.
Social contract theory
the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.
Son’s and Daughters of Liberty
People who were brought together as a response of the Stamp Act Organized protests against the acts and hung tax collectors in effigy. They helped keep the boycotting of goods continue. Stood for independence
Stamp Act Congress
This was a meeting held between October 7 and 25, 1765, in New York City, consisting of representatives from some of the British colonies in North America; it was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unified protest against new British taxation.
Supremacy Clause
The clause in 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
A 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
An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to count 3/5 of slave population in state representatives
Virginia Plan
Initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by the Virginia delegation for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states
Alexander Hamilton
United States statesman and leader of the Federalists; as the first Secretary of the Treasury he establish a federal bank; was mortally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr (1755-1804)
Anti-federalists
a person who opposed the adoption of the U.S. Constitution
Article 1
United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government, the United States Congress. The Congress is a bicameral legislature consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate.
Article 2
United States Constitution is the section that makes the executive branch of the government. The Executive branch of the government is the branch that has the responsibility and authority for the administration throughout the day of the state.
Article 3
the Constitution establishes and empowers the judicial branch of the national government.
Article 4
The United States 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 5
Constitution describes the process whereby the Constitution, the nation’s frame of government, may be altered. Altering the Constitution consists of proposing an amendment or amendments and subsequent ratification.
Article 6
United States Constitution 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 by the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
Articles of Confederation
a written agreement ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states. It was a plan of government for the United States of America. Went into effect in 1781
Benjamin Franklin
Helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Bill Of Rights
The first ten amendments, or additions, to the Constitution which give people important rights such as freedom of speech.
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
a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power
Constitution
A document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the United States is governed. It was drafted by the Constitutional Convention and later supplemented by the Bill of Rights and other amendments.
Constitutional Convention
The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787; all states were invited to send delegates. The convention, meeting in Philadelphia, designed a government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
