Chapter2.APGov.JuanitaE Flashcards
Alexander Hamilton
A key farmer who envisioned a powerful central government, co-authorized The Federalist Papers, and served as the first secretary and treasurer
Anti Federalist
Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government; opposed ratification of the US constitution
Article I
Vests all legislative powers in the Congress and establishes a bicameral legislature, consisting of the Senate and the house of representatives; it also sets out the qualifications for holding office in each house, the terms in office, the methods of selection of representatives and senator, and the system of apportionment among the states to determine membership in the house of representatives.
Article II
Vests the executive power, the authority to execute the laws of the nation, in a president of the united states; section 1 sets the president’s terms of office at four years and explains the electoral college and states the qualifications for office and describes a mechanism to replace the president in case of death, disability, or removal from the office
Article III
Establishes supreme court and defines jurisdiction
Article IV
Mandates that states honor the laws and judicial proceedings of other states. Article IV includes the mechanisms for admitting new states to the union
Article V
Specifies how amendments can be added to the constitution
Article VI
Contains the supremacy clause which asserts the basic primacy of the constitution and national law over state laws and constitution
Articles of Confederation
A compact between the thirteen original colonies that created a loose league of friendship, with the national government drawing its powers from the states
Benjamin Franklin
A brilliant inventor and senior statesmen at the constitutional convention who urged colonial unity as early as 1754, twenty-two years before the D.O.I
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the US constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties
Checks and Balances
A constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of others
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that challenged the authority of the British government to govern the colonies
Constitution
A document establishing the structure, functions, and limitations of a government
Constitutional Convention
The meeting in Philidelphia in 1787 that was first intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but produced an entirely new document, the Consitution
Crispus Attucks
An African American and his first American to die in what became known as the Boston Massacre in 1770
Critical Period
The Chaotic period from 1781 to 1789 after the American Revolution during which the former colonies were governed under the Articles of Confederation
Declaration of Independence
A document drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that proclaimed the right of the American colonies to separate Great Britain
Electoral College
The system established by the constitution through which the president is chosen by electors from each state, which has as many electoral votes as it has members of Congress
Enumerated Powers
The powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article I, section 8 of the constitution
Federalism
The distribution of constitutional authority between state governments and the national government, with different powers and functions exercised by both
Federalists
Those who favored a stronger government and supported the proposed US constitution; later became the first US political party
The Federalist Papers
A series of eighty-five political essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the US constitution
First Continental Congress
Meeting held in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in which fifty-six delegates (from every colony except Georgia) adopted a resolution in opposition to Coercive Acts
French and Indian War
The American phase of what was called the Seven Years War fought from 1754 to 1763 between Britain and Frane with Indian allies
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Section of Article IV of the constitution that ensures judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state
George Washington
Widely considered “Father of the Nation”, he was the commander of the Revolutionary armies; served as the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, and as the United States’ first president from 1789 to 1797
Great Compromise
The final decision of the constitutional convention to create a two-house legislature, with the lower house elected by the people and powers divided between the two houses; also made national law supreme
Implied Powers
The powers of the national government derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause
Inherent Powers
Powers that belong to the president because they can be inferred from the constitution
James Madison
A key farmer often called “the father of the constitution” for his role in conceptualizing the federal government; served as secretary of state; served as the fourth US president from 1809 to 1817
John Jay
A member of the founding generation who was the first chief justice of the United States. A diplomat and co-author of the Federalist Papers
Lexington and Concord
The first sites of armed conflicts between revolutionaries and British soldiers remembered for the “shot heard round the world” in 1775
Mercantilism
An economic theory designed to increase a nation’s wealth through the development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade
Montesquieu
The French baron and political theorist who first articulated the concept of separation of powers with checks and balances
Necessary and Proper Clause
The final paragraph of article I, section 8 of the constitution, which gives Congress the authority to pass laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the constitution; also called the elastic clause
New Jersey Plan
A framework for the constitution proposed by a group of small states; it called for a one-house legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue and a supreme court appointed for life
New World
The Western Hemisphere of Earth, also called The Americas, which was unknown to Europeans before 1492
Political Culture
Commonly shared attitudes, behaviors, and core values about how government should operate
Samuel Adams
Cousin of President John Adams and an early leader against the British and loyalist oppressors; he played a key role in developing the Committee of Correspondence and was active in Massachusetts and colonial politics
Second Continental Congress
Meeting hat convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, at which it was decided that an army should be raised and George Washington of Virginia was named commander in chief
Separation of Powers
A way of dividing the power of government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each staffed separately, with equality and independence of each branch ensured by the constitution
Shay’s Rebellion
A rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled and angry farmers led by Danil Shays marched to Springfield, Massachusetts, and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farm
Social Contract Theory
The belief that governments exist based on the consent of the governed
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Loosely organized groups of patriotic America colonists who were early revolutionaries
Stamp Act Congress
A gathering of nine colonial representatives in 1765 in New York City where a detailed list of crown violations was drafted; first official meeting of the colonies and the first official step toward creating a unified nation
Supremacy Clause
a portion of Article VI of the constitution mandating that national law is supreme over (that is, supersedes) all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government
Thomas Jefferson
Principle drafter of the Declaration of Independence; second vice president of the United States; third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Co-founder of the Democratic-Republican Party created to oppose Federalists
Thomas Paine
The influential writer of The Common Sense, a pamphlet that advocated independence from Great Britain
Three-Fifths Compromise
Agreement reached at the constitutional convention stipulating that three-fifths of the total slave population of each state was to be for the purpose of determining population for representation in the US house of rep.
Virginia Plan
A proposed framework for the constitution favoring large states. It called for a bicameral legislature, which would appoint executive and judicial officers
