| A | B |
|---|
| constitution | written plan of government |
| bicameral | two houses, type of legislature established in most states |
| confederation | group of individual state governments that unite for a common purpose |
| 13 | number of states that ratified the Articles of Confedderation |
| Federalists | group of people who wanted to ratify the Constitution |
| Ordinance of 1785 | law that set up a plan for surveying western lands |
| Northwest Ordinance | set up a government for the Northwest Territory and set up a plan for admitting new states to the Union |
| added a Bill of Rights | compromise that was reached so that the anti-federalists would agree to ratify the new Constitution |
| Shays Rebellion | rebellion of farmers in Massachusetts that were worried about losing their land |
| Rhode Island | state that did not attend the meeting in Philadelphia to change the Articles |
| legislative | branch of government that makes the laws. |
| James Madison | Father of the Constitution; took notes at the Constitutional Convention |
| 3/5 Compromise | compromise that determined how to count the slave population in the sensus for taxation and representation |
| Great Compromise | compromise that was reached at the convention over the legislative branch |
| Virginia Plan | Plan proposed by Edmund Randolph that favored the large states, had 2 houses and representation would be based on population |
| New Jersey Plan | plan that favored the smaller states, called for one house, and each house would have one vote |
| Delaware | first official state of the United States of America |
| couldn't tax, enforce laws or assemble an army; no executive branch | weaknesses of the Confederate Congress |
| Anti-federalists | people who opposed the ratification of the new Constitution |
| 20 years | lenght of time the delegates agreed to protect foreign slave trade |
| Roger Sherman | proposed the Great Compromise |
| Congress | name of legislative body |
| House of Representatives and Senate | 2 houses in Congress |
| 100 | number of senators |
| 435 | number of representatives in the House |
| 18 | number of representatives for Pa. |
| 25 years of age, citizen of U.S. for 7 years; live in state | 3 qualifications to be a representative |
| Speaker of the House | title of the presiding officer of the House |
| census | population count taken every 10 years |
| 6 years | term of office of a senator |
| 2 years | term of office for a member of the House |
| 30 years of age; citizen for 9 years; live in state he represents | 3 requirements to be a senator |
| vice president; president pro tempore | titles of the two presiding officers of the Senate in order of being in charge |
| Senate | where a bill goes after being approved by the House of Representatives |
| President | where a bill goes after the Senate |
| 2/3 | fraction of representatives and senators needed to override a president's veto |
| executes the law | main purpose of the executive branch |
| President | head of the executive branch |
| Electoral College | chooses the president and vice-president |
| 20 | number of electoral votes for Pa. |
| 35 years of age, natural born citizen, resident of the US for 14 years | 3 qualifications to become president |
| George Washington | president who created the first cabinet in 1789 |
| interpret the laws | main job of the judicial branch |
| Supreme Court | name of the highest and most important court in the United States |
| 9 | number of justices on the Supreme Court |
| life | term of office for a justice |
| unconstitutional | term that means a law goes against the Constitution of the United States |
| amend | term that means to change |
| ratify | terms that means formally approve |
| 2/3 | fraction of Congress needed to propose an amendment |
| amendments can be added to the Constitution | how the Constitution endured through the test of time |
| Articles of Confederation | document that was governing the United States before and during the writing of the Consitutuion |
| Legislative | Article 1 of the Constitution sets up this branch of the government |
| Executive | article 2 sets up this Branch of Government |
| judicial | Article 3 sets up this branch of government |
| 400,000 | salary of the President |
| Chief Justice | head of the Supreme Court who administers the oath of office to the presicent |
| 15 | number of cabinet positions |
| give advice to the president | function of the cabinet |
