| A | B |
|---|
| Articles of Confederation | The document that set up our country's first central government. |
| Statehood | To become a state. |
| Legislative Branch | The lawmaking branch of government. |
| Executive Branch | The branch of government that carries out the laws made by Congress. |
| Judicial Branch | The branch of government that decides the meaning of the laws. |
| Supreme Court | The head of the judicial branch of government. |
| New Jersey Plan | A plan that gave small and large states an equal number of representatives. |
| Great Compromise | A proposal that Congress should have two separate houses, one based on the state population and the other based on equal state representation. |
| Virginia Plan | Called for one house of Congress based on population. |
| Shay's Rebellion | Farmers protest the land tax imposed by Massachusetts. |
| Amendment | An addition to a constitution or other document. |
| Preamble | An introduction to a document. |
| Federal System | A system in which the states and the federal government share power. |
| Checks and balances | A system in which one branch of government is balanced by another. |
| Veto | To refuse to approve. |
| Federalists | Supporters of the ratification of the Constitution. |
| Antifederalists | Opponents of the ratification of the Constitution. |
| Bill of Rigths | A document that describes the basic rigths of people. |
| Cabinet | A government body made up of secretaries of departments. |
| Political Party | A group of people who share similar ideas about government. |
