| A | B |
|---|
| Articles of Confederation | the first written plan of government for the United States. A confederation is an association of states that cooperate for a common purpose |
| Northwest Territory | A region of the United States bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes. The region was given to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783 |
| Northwest Ordinance | A law passed by Congress in 1787 that specified how western lands would be governed |
| Consititutional Convention | A meeting held in Philadelphia in 1787 at which delegates from the states wrote the U.S. Constitution |
| Enlightenment | the "Age of Reason" in 17th and 18th century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized using rational thought to discover truths about nature and society |
| Republic | A country governed by elected representatives |
| Consitution | A written plan that provides the basic framework of a government |
| Great Compromise | The plan of government adopted at the Consistutional Convention that established a two-house Congress. In the House of Representatives, representaion from each state is based on state population. In the Senate, each state is represented by two senators |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | An agreement made at the Consistutional Convention stating that enlsaved person would be counted as three-fifths (3/5) of a person when determining a state's population for representation in the House of Representatives |
| Electoral College | the group established by the Constitution to elect the president and vice president. Voters in each state choose their electors |
| Ratify | to formally approve a plan or an agreement. The process of approval is called ratification. |
| The Federalist Papers | a series of essays writeen by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states. |
| Shay's Rebellion | farmers' rebellion in Massachusetts protesting taxes |
| James Madison | "father of the Constitution" main writer of the Constituiton |
| Virginia Plan | called for representation in Congress by a state's population |
| New Jersey Plan | each state would have equal representation in Congress |
| Roger Sherman | delegate from Connecticut who proposed the "Great Compromise" |
| Anti-Federalists | opponents of the Constitution who feared states would lose too much power |
