Chapter 2 - The Constitution Flashcards
The document approved by the representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence
The Declaration of Independence
A nation’s basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens
Constitution
Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property.
Natural rights
The idea that government derives it’s authority by the agreement of the people
Consent of the governed
The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens. Restrictions on what rulers can do
Limited government
The first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. It established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures
Articles of Confederation
A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings
Shays’ Rebellion
The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. Government and the tasks these institutions perform.
The U.S. Constitution
Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth
Factions
The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state’s population
The New Jersey Plan
The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state’s share of the U.S. population
Virginia Plan
The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state’s share of the U.S. Population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives
Connecticut Compromise
Representation and taxation were to be based on the “number of free persons” plus three-fifths of the number of “all other persons”
Three-fifths compromise
A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody
Writ of habeas corpus
A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government- executive, legislative, and judicial- to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others
Separation of powers
Limits the government’s power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions constrain one another’s activities
Checks and balances
A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws
Republic
Supporters of the U.S. Constitution
Federalists
Opponents of the U.S. Constitution
Anti-Federalists
The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. They define basic liberties and protect individual rights
The Bill of Rights
The constitutional amendment passed but not ratified by Congress in 1972 stating that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
A case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution
Marbury vs. Madison
The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress , and by the implication of the executive, are in accord with the U.S. Constitution
Judicial review
Articles written to convince others to support the new constitution
The Federalist Papers
