| A | B |
|---|
| caucus | a meeting of political party members to conduct party business |
| citizen | community member who owes loyalty to the government and is entitled to its protection |
| checks and balances | a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the other branches |
| Marbury v. Madison | Supreme Court ruling that established judicial review |
| judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to say whether a law is constitutional |
| Supremacy Clause | the clause in the Constitution that makes federal laws prevail over state and local laws when there is a conflict |
| Tenth Amendment | amendment that reserves powers to the states and the people |
| Elastic Clause | clause in Constitution that gives Congress the right to make laws 'necessary and proper' to carry out its expressed powers |
| municipal | relating to local city government |
| concurrent powers | powers shared by the federal and state governments |
| reserved powers | powers reserved for the states and people by the Tenth Amendment |
| delegated powers | powers specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution |
| implement | to apply or enforce |
| confederation | a group of individual state governments that unite for a common purpose |
| Articles of Confederation | the first constitution of the United States |
| ordinance | a law, usually of a city or country |
| Ordinance of 1785 | a law that set up a plan for surveying western lands |
| Northwest Ordinance | A 1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory |
| Ordinance of 1785 | a law that set up a plan for surveying western lands |
| Shay's Rebellion | an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who were angry over heavy state taxes |
| Constitutional Convention | meeting of delegates in 1787 that led to a new constitution |
| Great Compromise | an agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress |
| Electoral College | a group of people chosen by voters to select the president and vice president |
| Federalist | supporter of ratifying the Constitution |
| federalism | a form of government in which power is divided between the national government and the states |
| Federalist Papers | a series of essays written to defend the Constitution |
| Anti-Federalis | a person who opposed ratification of the Constitution |
| Preamble | the opening section of the Constitution |
| article | one of the seven main parts of the Constitution |
| amendment | any change to the Constitution |
| legislative branch | lawmaking branch of government |
| executive branch | branch of government that enforces laws |
| judicial branch | branch of government that interprets laws |
| principle | fundamental idea |
| popular sovereignty | the idea that power lies with the people |
| limited government | government can only do what the Constitution allows it to do |
| rule of law | the law applies to everyone, including those who govern |
| separation of powers | the division of authority between the branches of government |
| civil liberties | the freedom to participate in society and act without unfair government interference |
| establishment clause | part of the First Amendment that bans Congress from establishing an official religion |
| free exercise clause | part of the First Amendment that protects the freedom of people to practice their religion as they wish |
| free speech | the right to say our opinions without fear of being prosecuted |
| censorship | the banning of printed materials or films due to offensive ideas |
| petition | formal request for the government to act |
| slander | spoken untruths that are harmful to one's reputation |
| libel | written untruths that are harmful to someone's reputation |
| accused | officially charged with a crime |
| probable cause | a strong reason to think that a person was involved in a crime |
| search warrant | a court order allowing police to search property and seize evidence |
| indictment | a document issued by a body called a grand jury that charges someone with a crime |
| grand jury | a group that hears evidence and decides whether or not to issue an indictment |
| due process | following established and fair legal procedures |
| eminent domain | the right of government to take private property for public use |
| bail | a sum of money used as a security deposit to ensure the accused person returns for trial |
| black codes | laws passed after the Civil War limiting the rights of African-Americans |
| suffrage | the right to vote |
| discrimination | unfair treatment based on prejudice against a certain group |
| segregation | social separation of the races |
| "Jim Crow" laws | Southern segregation laws |
