| A | B |
|---|
| Antifederalists | People who opposed the Constitution |
| The Federalist Papers | a series of essays defending the Constitution |
| federalists | Supporters of the Constitution |
| Preamble | opening statement of the Constitution |
| Federal Government | National government |
| ratify | to approve |
| amendment | formal written change to the Constitution |
| representative government | system of government in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them |
| judicial review | power of the Supreme Court to decide whether acts passed by the president or laws passed by Congress are unconstitutional |
| Supreme Court | highest court in the United States |
| constitution | a document that sets out the laws and principles of a government |
| bill of rights | a list of freedoms that the government promises to protect |
| Articles of Confederation | The first American constitution |
| Congress | The lawmaking body of government in the U.S. |
| Senate | The upper house of Congress; each state has 2 members in this house |
| House of Representatives | The lower house of Congress; seats in this house are awarded based on a state's population |
| Veto | To reject a law |
| Separation of Powers | System in which the power of government is divided into three branches |
| Habeas Corpus | Right to have charges filed or a hearing before being jailed |
| cabinet | Group of officials who head government departments and advise the President |
| Constitutional Convention | Meeting of the delegates from 12 states who wrote a constitution for the U.S in 1787 |
| Checks and Balances | System set up by the Constitution in which each branch of the federal government has the power to check, or control, the powers of the other 2 branches |
| federalism | The division of powers between the states and the national government |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | Agreement of delegates to the Constitutional Convention that three fifths of the slaves in any state be counted in its population |
| override | To overrule |
| Great Compromise | Roger Sherman’s plan for a 2-house legislature; Settled differences between large and small states |
| electoral college | Group of electors from each state that meets every four years to vote for the President and V.P. |
| Marbury v. Madison | Supreme Court case (1803) that set the precedent for judicial review |
| U.S. Constitution | “Supreme Law of the Land” in the U.S; outlines the structure of, and the responsibilities of our government |
