Chapter 2 Flashcards
those who did not support ratification of the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
the first basis for the new nation’s government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government
Articles of Confederation
a legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress
Bicameral legislature
the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; most were designed to protect fundamental rights and liberties
Bill of Rights
a system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together
Checks and balances
a highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense
Confederation
the powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs
Enumerated powers
a form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government
Federal system
those who supported ratification of the Constitution
Federalists
a compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate
Great compromise
the right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away
Natural rights
a plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote
New Jersey Plan
a form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives
Republic
any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government
Reserved powers
the sharing of powers among three separate branches of government
Separation of powers
an agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights
Social contract
the statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures
Supremacy clause
a collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution
The Federalist papers
a compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state’s free population and 60 percent of its slave population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress
Three-Fifths Compromise
a legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan
Unicameral legislature
the power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress
Veto
a plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state’s population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house
Virginia Plan
British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________.
John Locke
What actions by the British government convinced the colonists that they needed to declare their independence?
Americans believed all people (i.e., white males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves.
