| A | B |
|---|
| Articles of Confederation | colonies'/states' first plan of government |
| political party | group of people who share similar ideas about government |
| Northwest Ordinance | one important law passed under the Articles of Confederation setting out a plan for territories to become states |
| territory | area of land owned by the government |
| Northwest Territory | area of land given to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris which included the future states of IN, WI, OH, MI, and IL. |
| statehood | to become a state |
| Constitutional Convention of 1787 | meeting called which resulted in the writing of the Constitution |
| Philadelphia | location of the Constitutional Convention |
| ambassador | official representative sent to another country |
| James Madison | Father of the Constitution |
| Virginia Plan | Madison's plan of government basing representation on population |
| New Jersey Plan | plan of government where representation is based on equal delegates |
| Congress | another name for the Legislative Branch of government |
| legislative branch | makes the laws, can override a veto, and can charge judges with wrong doing |
| executive branch | includes the President and his Cabinet, carries out the laws, and appoints judges |
| Supreme Court | another name for the judicial branch |
| judicial branch | interprets the laws and made up of judges called the Supreme Court |
| compromise | when each side gives up something it wants in order to reach an agreement |
| Roger Sherman | Connecticut judge who came up with the Great Compromise. |
| Great Compromise | plan drawn up at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to form two houses of Congress |
| Senate | house of Congress that has an equal number of delgates from each state |
| House of Representatives | house of Congress that has the number of delegates based on the state's population |
| Electoral College | elects the President |
| Constitution | oldest written plan of government still in use |
| amendments | additions/changes to the Constitution |
| Preamble | introduction to the Constitution |
| democracy/republic | form of government in which the people make the laws and run the government |
| federal system | system of government in which power is shared between the central governmnet and state governments |
| federal government | has the power to declare war, make money, make treaties, and run the post office |
| state government | has the power to set up public schools and local governmnets and run elections |
| checks and balances | system in which each branch of government is balanced by the others |
| checks | to stop |
| veto | power of the President to refuse to approve a bill or law |
| ratify | officially approve |
| Federalists | supporters of the Constitution |
| Antifederalists | opponents of the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | document that describes the rights of people |
| Cabinet | advisers to the President that include the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and the Attorney General |
