| A | B |
|---|
| Articles of Confederation | a weak attempt to form a central government |
| Thomas Paine | wrote Common Sense encouraging a new form of government |
| Thomas Jefferson | author of Declaration of Independence |
| Declaration of Independence | announces U.S. independance from King and lists greviences agains the Kings rule |
| Bill of Rights | first 10 amendments added to Constitution to gaurentee individual rights (first 10 Amendments) |
| Federalists | supported the ratification of the constitution |
| Anti-federalists | opposed the ratification of the Constitution constitution |
| Preamble | states the purpose of the Constitution |
| Article I | Outlines responsibilities of the Legislative branch |
| Article II | Responsibilities of Executive Branch |
| Article III | Responsibilities of Judicial Branch |
| Popular Sovereignty | government can exist only with the consent of the people |
| Ratification | formal approval of a constitutional amendment or treaty |
| judicial review | power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional |
| separation of powers | divide responsibilities among the 3 branches of government |
| jurisdiction of government | authority of a court of law |
| checks and balances | allows each branch to check the actions of the others |
| House of Representatives | representation by population of each state |
| Senate representation | 2 per state |
| Continuous body | Senators serve a 6 year term and only one-third of the senators expire every two years. |
| Representative qualifications | 25 years old, citizen of U.S. for seven years, must live in state where elected |
| Senator qualifications | 30 years old, U.S. citizen for 9 years, live in state where elected |
| Legislative branch | makes laws |
| Executive branch | enforces laws passed by Congress |
| Judicial branch | interpretes constitution |
| Census | count of population every 10 years |
| Powers of Congress | levy taxes, regulate trade and commerce, establish post offices, borrows money |
| Chief Administrator | leader of the federal government |
| Chief Diplomat | responsible for foreign policy and treaties |
| Chief Citizen | representative of all people |
| Commander in Chief | leader of nations armed forces |
| President qualifications | 35 years old, natural born citizen, lived in U.S. for 14 years |
| Roles of Vice President | preside over the Senate, help decide the question of presidential disability |
| Appellate jurisdiction | a court hears a case on appeal from a lower court |
| Due process | laws are reasonable and individuals be given a fair trial |
| 1st Amendment | Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition |
| 2nd Amendment | Right to Bear Arms |
| 4th Amendment | Search, Seizure and Proper Warrents |
| 5th Amendment | Criminal Proceedings, Due Process |
| 8th Amendment | Bail, Cruel and Unusual Punishment |
| 13th Amendment | Abolish slavery |
| 15th Amendment | Right to vote- Race, color Servitude |
| 19th Amendment | Vote for Women |
| 22nd Amendment | Presidential Tenure- limits persident to 2 terms |
| 26th Amendment | Right to Vote- Age 18 |
| republic | sovereign power is held by the people, and the people elect representatives |
| Articles of Confederation | colonies first attempt to establish a government |
| Constitution | supreme law of the United States |
| Articles | 7 major parts of the Constitution |
| Unitary government | gives all the power to the central governement |
| Democracy | government ruled by the people |
| filibuster | senator uses his right of unlimited debate to stop passage of a bill |
| Marbury v. Madison | first time a courts used judicial review |
| bill | a law proposed to the legislature |
| 2 years | length of term for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
| Majority leader | presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
| constituents | voters in a lawmakers home district |
| Veto | President refuses to sign a bill |
| 25th Amendment | amendment that outlines a series of rules to be followed if the President becomes disabled |
| Mayflower Compact | first written attempt of government in North America |
| Speaker of the House | presiding officer over the House of Represenatives: also the person in line for the Presidency following the Vice-President |
| indictment | formal accusation charging a person with a crime |
| federal bureaucracy | departments and agencies that conduct the work for the federal government |
| defendant | person whom a court suit is brought ag |
| plaintiff | person who brings a civil suit to court |
| Electoral College | body of electors that formally elects the President |
| precedent | decision reached by earlier courts on similar cases |
| double jeopardy | a person can not be tried twice for the same crime |
| pardon | President's power to release a person from legal punishment |
| amendment | formal change added to te constitution |
| slander | false spoken statements that damage a person's reputation |
| lobbyist | representative of an interest group that tries to influence lawmakers |
| Brown v. Board of Education | ended segregation in schools |
| Miranda v. Arizona | suspects have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney and anything they say can and will be held against them in court |
| libel | false written statements |
| social contract | an agreement between a government and it's people where the people will give up some personal freedoms to receive protection |
| government | institution through which a state makes and enforces the laws |
| theocracy | where religious principles guide government |
| direct democracy | when elected officials represent the voters |
| expressed powers | powers of congress that are specifically in the the constitution |
| implied powers | powers of Congress that can be interpreted in the constitution |
| commitees | where a majority of work takes place before issues come to the full congress |
| bill | a proposed law |
| elastic clause | gives Congress implied powers |
| 1/3 | Senate terms that expire every 2 years! |
| quorum | minimum number of legislators that must be present to conduct congressional buisness |
| federal bureaucracy | departments and agencies that do the |
| Department of the State | cabinet department responsible for American relationships with forgien countries |
| the Senate | cabinet members are appointed be the presdient and confirmed by whom? |
| house of Representatives | if a presidential candidate doen't receive a majority of votes from the electoral college, who is the president chosen by? |
| 9 | number of supreme court justices |
| appellate court | court in which a case is first tried |
| precedent | decisions reached by earlier courts on similar cases |
| majority opinoin | supreme courts formal explanation for a decision |
| concurring opinion | when justices agree with the majority decision for different reasons |
| indictment | formal accusation that charges a person with a crime |
| establishment clause | prohibits governemtn from endorsing a specific religion |
| 27 | number of Amendment that have benn added tot he Constitution |
