| A | B |
|---|
| Articles of Confederation | First plan of government for the United States, in effect from 1781 to 1789. It gave more power to the states than to the central government. |
| ratify | to officially approve |
| legislative branch | part of the goverment that passes law |
| executive branch | part of the government, headed by the President, that carries out the laws |
| judicial branch | part of the government that decides the meaning of the law |
| inflation | economic condition in which prices rise very quickly |
| Shays' Rebellion | revolt of Massachusetts farmers against high state taxes, led by Daniel Shays |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | federal order that divided the Northwest Terriory into smaller territories and created a plan for how the territories and created a plan for how the territories could become states |
| delegate | person chosen to represent others |
| Constitutional Convention | meeting of delegates who met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787 and replaced the Articles of Confederation |
| Virginia Plan | plan proposed during the Constitutional Convention that Congress be given greater power over the states and that large states have more representatives in Congress than small states |
| New Jersey Plan | proposal during the Constitutional Convention that each state should have the same number of representatives in Congress |
| compromise | settlement of a disagreement in which each side agrees to give up part of its demands |
| Great Compromise | agreement at the Constitutional Convention to create a Congress with two houses - first proposed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | agreement made at the Constitutional Convention that only three-fifths of the slaves in a state would be counted for representation and tax purposes |
| Preamble | introduction to the Constitution, beginning, "We the People of the United States..." |
| reserved powers | powers in the Constitution that are left to the individual states |
| separation of powers | division of power among the three branches of the federal government under the Constitution |
| checks and balances | system set up by the Constitution that gives each branch of government the power to check, or limit, the power of the other branches |
| veto | power of the President to reject a bill passed by Congress |
| Federalists | supporter of a strong national government and in favor of adopting of the Constitution |
| federal | refers to the national government |
| Antifederalists | person opposed to the new U.S. Constitution and its emphasis on a strong national government |
| The Federalist | series of essays in 1787 and 1788 by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay that urged support of the new Constitution |
| amendment | a change, or additon, to the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791 |
