Unit 2: The Constitution & the US Flashcards
The first governing document in the United States
Articles of Confederation
Unicameral legislature, equal representation for all states
New Jersey Plan
African Americans would count as 3/5 of a person for both purposes
3/5th Compromise
A system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power
Checks & Balances
The constitutional arrangement where power is divided and shared VERTICALLY (among the federal governments and the state governments)
Federalism
A process under which executive and legislative actions are subject to review by the judiciary.
Judicial Review
Those who are against the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
“ambition must be made to counteract ambition”
Federalist #51
The Constitution is a solution to the problem of FACTIONS
Federalist #10
Unicameral legislature, proportional representation
Virginia Plan
A compromise adopted at the Constitutional Convention, providing the states with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.
The Connecticut Compromise
A legislative body with two branches or chambers
Bicameral
Mechanism established by the United States Constitution for the indirect election of the president and vice president of the United States
Electoral College
The constitutional arrangement where power is divided and shared HORIZONTALLY (among the three branches of the national government)
Separation of Powers
(aka The Necessary & Proper Clause) A constitutional clause allowing Congress to pass laws deemed necessary to carry out its job
Elastic Clause
A clause within Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which dictates that federal law is the “ supreme law of the land”
Supremacy Clause
Supporters of the proposed Constitution
Federalist
Under the Articles of Confederation the __________ retained most political power.
States
Which of the following was one of the main provisions of the Articles of Confederation?
It guaranteed equal representation for the states.
