| A | B |
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| Constitution | the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation,state, corporation, or the like, is governed. |
| Declaration of Independence | the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain |
| Natural Rights | a political theory that every person has basic rights that the government cannot deny |
| Laws of Nature | The rights that all person's have. They include life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness (property). There are probably more, but they have yet to be defined. |
| John Locke | One of the most influential English philosophers during the Age or Reason. His most famous work "The Second Treatise of Government" profound influence on our America's founding fathers. |
| Limited Government | The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens |
| Articles of Confederation | The first government adopted by the United States after winning independence from Great Britain. It created a national legislature, but most power was held by the states. |
| Shay’s Rebellion | An uprising led by a former militia officer, Daniel Shays, which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786.Shays's followers protested the foreclosures of farms for debt and briefly succeeded in shutting down the court system |
| U.S. Constitution | A document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the United States is governed |
| Factions | Groups such as political parties, interest groups, or movements which, according to James Madison, arise because of the unequal distribution of wealth, property, and power. In their struggle to gain these for their group that can cause instability in government. |
| New Jersey Plan | Proposed in opposition to the Virginia Plan, it proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote. It would have given small states more power in the national government. |
| Virginia Plan | James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population. It would have given more populated states greater power in the national government. |
| Connecticut Compromise | Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house. It is also known as the Great Compromise |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | A Court order that commands anindividual or a government official who has restrained another to produce the prisoner at a designated time and place so that the court can determine the legality of custody and decide whether toorder the prisoner's release. |
| Madisonian System | The system of government created by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. At its core was an attempt to create a government in which neither a majority nor a minority could tyrannize the people. |
| Separation of Powers | A fundamental principle of the United States government, whereby powers and responsibilities are divided among the legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch. |
| Federal System | A system of government is one in which a nation is ruled by a central government and smaller subdivisions of government each with their own duties and responsibilities. In the United States these are the Federal (national) government and the state governments. |
| Republic | a state in which supreme power is held by the people through their elected representatives |
| Federalists | Those who supported the US Constitution when the states were considering its adoption. They called for a stronger national government. |
| Anti-Federalists | Those who opposed the US Constitution when the states were considering its adoption. They feared stronger national government and desired stronger state governments. |
| Federalist Papers | a collection of 85 articles and essays written (under the pseudonym Publius) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay calling for the ratification of the United States Constitution. They are an essential source for understanding the reasoning of our founders. |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the US Constitution. They were created in response to the concerns of the Anti-federalists. These amendments contain our most basic liberties. |
| Equal Rights Amendment | A proposed constitutional amendment calling for women to have rights equal to men. This amendment has failed to be ratified numerous times |
| Marbury V. Madison | An 1803 Supreme Court decision which formally established the principle of judicial review . |
| Judicial Review | the Supreme Court's power to rule whether an act of Congress or a executive action are in accord with the US Constitution. |
| Checks and Balances | a system that allows each branch of a government (the legislative, executive, and judicial) to limit or control the acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power |
