| A | B |
|---|
| Constitutional Convention | Meeting of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of new Constitution |
| Legislative Branch | The lawmakers |
| Executive Branch | Carries out the laws |
| Judicial Branch | Interprets and applies the laws |
| Great Compromise | Agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | Agreed that every five enslaved persons would count as three free persons |
| Electoral College | Group of people who would be named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president |
| Federalists | Supporters of the Constitution |
| Federalism | Form of government in which power is divided between the federal or national government and the states |
| Anti-Federalists | Those who opposed the Constitution |
| Preamble | Opening section of the Constitution that tells why it was written |
| Amendment | Any change in the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | The first 10 amendments |
| Income Tax | A tax on people's earnings |
| Popular Sovereignty | The notion that power lies with the people |
| Rule of Law | The law applies to everyone, even those who govern |
| Seperation of Powers | The split of authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches |
| Checks and Balances | Allows each branch of government to be able to check, or restrain, the power of the others |
| Expressed Powers | The powers specifically granted to the national government (enumerated powers) |
| Reserved Powers | Powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government and are kept by the states |
| Concurrent Powers | Powers that both levels of government can exercise |
