Chapter 2

Question 1

Settler Colonialism

Answer 1

a form of colonialism that seeks to remove Native peoples from land and replace them with a new settler population

Question 2

enslavement

Answer 2

a system of slavery in which individuals are held as property for the purpose of forced labor so that profit can be extracted

Question 3

Articles of Confederation

Answer 3

America’s first written constitution; served as the basis for America’s national government until 1789

Question 4

Confederation

Answer 4

a system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government

Question 5

Virginia Plan

Answer 5

a framework for the Constitution, introduced by Edmund Randolph, that called for representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state

Question 6

bicameral legislature

Answer 6

a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses

Question 7

New Jersey Plan

Answer 7

a framework for the Constitution, introduced by William Paterson, that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population

Question 8

unicameral legislature

Answer 8

a legislative assembly having only one chamber or house

Question 9

Great Compromise

Answer 9

the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population

Question 10

Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer 10

the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that stipulated that for purposes of the apportioning congressional seats only three fifths of enslaved people would be counted

Question 11

Checks and Balances

Answer 11

mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches; examples include the presidential veto power over congressional legislation, the Senate’s power to approve presidential appointments, and the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review of congressional enactments

Question 12

Bill of Rights

Answer 12

the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791; they ensure certain rights and liberties to the people

Question 13

separation of powers

Answer 13

the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision-making

Question 14

Federalism

Answer 14

a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments

Question 15

expressed powers

Answer 15

specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II)

Question 16

Elastic Clause

Answer 16

The concluding paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution (also known as the “necessary and proper clause”), which provides Congress with the authority to make all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its enumerated powers

Question 17

Judicial Review

Answer 17

the power of the courts to review actions of the legislative and executive branches and, if necessary, declare them invalid or unconstitutional; the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Question 18

Supremacy Clause

Answer 18

Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

Question 19

Amendment

Answer 19

a change added to a bill, law, or constitution; the process of making such change through constitutional procedure

Question 20

Federalists

Answer 20

those who favored a strong national government and supported the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787

Question 21

Antifederalists

Answer 21

those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and who were opponents of the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787

Question 22

Federalist Papers

Answer 22

a series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay supporting ratification of the Constitution

Question 23

Tyranny

Answer 23

oppressive government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority

Question 24

Limited Government

Answer 24

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.