| A | B |
|---|
| Constitution | a formal plan of government |
| Bicameral | consisting of two houses, or chambers, especially in a legislature |
| Republic | a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives |
| Petition | a formal request; to ask |
| Ordinance | a law or regulation |
| Depression | a period of low economic activity and widespread unemployment |
| Proportional | to be the same as or corresponding to |
| Compromise | agreement between two or more sides in which each side gives up some of what it wants |
| Enlightenment | movement during the 1700s that spread the idea that knowledge, reason, and science could improve society |
| Federalism | the sharing of power between federal and state governments |
| Article | a part of a document, such as the Constitution, that deals with a single subject |
| Legislative Branch | the branch of government that makes the nation's laws |
| Executive Branch | the branch of government, headed by the president, that carries out the nation's laws and policies |
| Judicial Branch | the branch of government, including the federal court system, that interprets the nation's laws |
| Checks and Balances | the system in which each branch of government has a check on the other two branches so that no branch becomes too powerful |
| Ratify | to give official approval to |
| Federalist | supporters of the Constitution |
| Antifederalist | individuals who opposed ratification of Constitution |
| Amendment | an addition to a formal document such as the Constitution |
