| A | B |
|---|
| bill of attainder | A law that would declare a person guilty of a crime without a crime |
| ex post facto law | A law that would declare an act criminal after the act was committed |
| writ of habeas corpus | A court order requiring police officials to produce an individual held in custody and show sufficient cause for that person's detention |
| natural rights | Rights of all human beings that are ordained by God, discoverable i nature and history, and essential to human progress |
| judicial review | The power of the courts to declare acts of the legislature and of the executive unconstitutional and therefore null and void |
| faction | A group of people sharing a common interest who seek to influence public policy for their collective benefit |
| coalition | An alliance between different groups or parties to achieve some political goal |
| federalism | A constitutional principle reserving separate powers to the national and state levels of government |
| line-item veto | The power of the executive to veto some provisions in an appropriations bill while approving others |
| checks and balances | The power of the legislative,executive, and judicial branches of government to block acts by the other branches |
| Great Compromise | Proposal that made membership in the House of Representatives proportional and in the Senate equal for all states. |
| New Jersey Plan | Proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress |
| Virginia Plan | Proposal that would have made all representation in Congress based on population |
| Antifederalists | Those who opposed giving as much power to the national government as the Constitution did, favoring instead stronger states' rights |
| Federalists | Supporters of a stronger central government who advocated ratification of the Constitution and then founded a political party |
| confederation | An agreement among sovereign states that delegates certain powers to a national government |
