Chapter 3 - The Constitution Flashcards
drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the document that proclaimed the right of the colonies to separate from Great Britain
Declaration of Independence
the belief that the people agree to set up rulers for certain purposes and thus have the right to resist or remove rulers who act against those purposes
Social Contract Theory
a government without a monarch; a government rooted in the consent of the governed, whose power is exercised by elected representatives responsible to the governed
Republic
a loose association of independent states that agree to cooperate on specified matters
Confederation
the compact among the thirteen original states that established the first government of the United States
Articles of Confederation
a set of proposals for a new government, submitted to the Constitutional Convention of 1787; included separation of the government into three branches, division of the legislature into two houses, and proportional representation in the legislature
Virginia Plan
the law-making branch of government
Legislative Branch
the law-enforcing branch of government
Executive Branch
the law-interpreting branch of government
Judicial Branch
submitted by the head of New Jersey delegation to the Constitution Convention of 1787, a set of nine resolutions that would have, in effect, preserved the Articles of Confederation by amending rather than replacing them
New Jersey Plan
submitted by the Connecticut delegation to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and thus also known as the Connecticut Compromise, a plan calling for a bicameral legislature in which the House of Representatives would be apportioned according to population and the states would be represented equally in the Senate
Great Compromise
a body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president
Electoral College
a majority greater than the minimum of 50 percent plus one
Extraordinary Majority
a form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives
Republicanism
the division of power between a central government and regional governments
Federalism
the assignment of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to separated branches of government
Separation of Powers
a government structure that gives each branch some scrutiny of and control over the other branches
Checks and Balances
the powers explicitly granted to Congress by the Consitution
Enumerated Powers
the last clause in Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution, which gives Congress the means to execute its enumerated powers; this clause is the basis for Congress’s implied powers; also called the elastic clause
Necessary and Proper Clause
those powers that Congress needs to execute its enumerated powers
Implied Powers
the power to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Consitution
Judicial Review
the clause in Article VI of the Constitution that asserts that national laws take precedence over state and local laws when they conflict
Supremacy Clause
the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they prevent the national government from tampering with fundamental rights and civil liberties, and emphasize the limited character of national power
Bill of Rights
