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U.S. History > Constitution Vocabulary > Flashcards

Constitution Vocabulary Flashcards

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1
Q

amendment

A

change or addition to a document or plan, such as the Constitution

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2
Q

amendment process

A

rules for amending the Constitution. These are specified in the Constitution

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3
Q

Anti-Federalist

A

opponent of the central government as defined by the Constitution; against its ratification

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4
Q

Bill of Rights

A

first 10 amendments to the Constitution

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5
Q

checks and balances

A

system in which the power of each branch of government is balanced and checked by the powers of other branches

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6
Q

confederationists

A

in the late 1700s, supporters of the Articles of Confederation who wanted states to hold most of the power in a loose alliance or confederation

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7
Q

constitution

A

plan of government. In the United States the Constitution is the supreme law and plan of the national government adopted in 1789

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8
Q

constitutional convention

A

meeting of delegates who draft a constitution

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9
Q

convention

A

formal meeting of a group for a particular purpose

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10
Q

delegate

A

official representative of some larger group or body, like a state assembly

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11
Q

executive branch

A

part of government, heading in the United States by a president of governor, that carries out the laws

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12
Q

exports

A

goods shipped to other countries for sale or use

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13
Q

federalism

A

system of government in which power is shared between the central government and the state governments
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

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14
Q

federalist

A

supporter of the ratification of the Constitution

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15
Q

Founding Fathers

A

writers and framers of the Constitution; the founders

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16
Q

free holders

A

property holders

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17
Q

House of Representatives

A

“lower” house of Congress in which the number of each state’s representatives is based on its population

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18
Q

imports

A

goods brought in from other countries for sale or use

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19
Q

judicial branch

A

part of government that interprets the laws through its decisions in legal cases

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20
Q

legislative branch

A

part of government that creates laws

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21
Q

nationalists

A

those who favored a strong national government in the late 1700s

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22
Q

New Jersey Plan

A

plan presented by several states at the Constitutional Convention to give an equal number of representatives in Congress to all the states and establish a relatively weak control government

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23
Q

popular sovereignty

A

consent of the governed; power to govern comes from the people

24
Q

Preamble

A

introductory part of the Constitution

25
Q

proportional representation

A

way of determining how many representatives a state can have, based on its population. The larger a state’s population, the more representation it gets

26
Q

ratify

A

approve and make official

27
Q

Senate

A

“senior” or “upper” house of Congress in which each state has two representatives, called Senators, regardless of its population

28
Q

Supreme Court

A

highest level of the judicial branch of the federal government; the highest court in the country. There are also state supreme courts

29
Q

Virginia Plan

A

plan presented by Edmond Randolph at the Constitutional Convention, it provided a basis for the Constitution

30
Q

double jeopardy

A

condition of being tried a second time for the same crime

31
Q

eminent domain

A

right of the government to take private property for public use

32
Q

grand jury

A

group of citizens who decide whether there is enough evidence against a person to bring him or her to trial

33
Q

impartial jury

A

group of citizens sworn to give a bias-free verdict in a trial, who have nothing to gain or lose as a result of the outcome of the case

34
Q

incriminate

A

make a person appear guilty of a crime

35
Q

indictment

A

formal laying of charges leading to a trial

36
Q

militia

A

army of citizens who are not professional soldiers and who may be called for service in times of emergency. The National Guard is a militia.

37
Q

petition

A

make a formal request of an authority

38
Q

probable cause

A

grounds for a reasonable person to believe that a crime may have been committed

39
Q

publish

A

make information known to the public by word of mouth or in print

40
Q

slander

A

act of telling lies to damage someone’s reputation; also the crime of so doing

41
Q

treason

A

crime of endangering the country by giving the information to or helping an enemy

42
Q

warrant

A

legal document issued by a judge authorizing actions such as search, seizure, or arrest

43
Q

abolitionist

A

person who worked to end slavery

44
Q

affirmative action

A

policies and efforts made to improve opportunities for minority groups

45
Q

Confederacy

A

alliance of southern states that seceded from the Union and fought in the Civil War

46
Q

discrimination

A

act or process of treating people of one group differently because of race, religion, or any factor not based on individual merit

47
Q

Emancipation Proclamation

A

document issued by President Lincoln in 1863 that freed the slaves in the Confederacy

48
Q

ordinance

A

regulation or law

49
Q

poll tax

A

fee paid in order to vote

50
Q

quota

A

rule about the number or proportion of people admitted to an organization, school, company, or country

51
Q

racial profiling

A

making generalizations based on skin color of ethnicity in policing or security work

52
Q

reverse discrimination

A

discrimination against a majority group such as whites or males

53
Q

secede

A

formally withdraw from a group or organization such as the Confederate states from the Union in 1861

54
Q

segregation

A

policy that forces the separation of one group of people from another; based on race, sex, religion, or other similar characteristic

55
Q

suffrage

A

right to vote

56
Q

suffragists

A

people who worked for women’s right to vote

U.S. History (2 decks)

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