| A | B |
|---|
| Constitutional Convention | meeting held in Philadelphia to create a new constitution |
| James Madison | delegate from Virginia known as the “Father of the Constitution” |
| Virginia Plan | a plan giving supreme power to the central government and creating a bicameral legislature made of two groups, or houses, of representatives (based on population) |
| New Jersey Plan | a plan creating a unicameral, or one-house, legislature |
| Great Compromise | an agreement that gave each state one vote in the upper house of the legislature (Senate - equal representation) and a number of representatives based on its population in the lower house (House of Representatives) |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | only three-fifths of a state’s slaves were counted when deciding representation in Congress |
| popular sovereignty | the idea that political power belongs to the people |
| federalism | the sharing of power between a central government and the states |
| legislative branch | a Congress of two houses that proposes and makes the laws |
| executive branch | the president and the departments that help run the government (executes or carries out the laws) |
| judicial branch | a system of all the national courts (interprets the laws) |
| checks and balances | a system that keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful |
| Antifederalists | people who opposed the Constitution and centralized power, wanted The Bill of Rights |
| Federalists | people who supported the Constitution and a strong central government |
| Federalist Papers | essays supporting the Constitution |
| Amendments | official changes or additions to a document |
| Bill of Rights | Constitutional amendments that protect the rights of citizens (1st 10 amendments) |
| federal system | the government system that gives certain powers to the federal government |
| impeach | vote to bring charges of serious crimes against a president |
| veto | cancel executive orders commands from the president that have the power of law |
| pardons | orders from the president that grant freedom from punishment |
| majority rule | the idea that the greatest number of people in a society can make policies for everyone |
| petition | a request made of the government |
| search warrant | an order authorities must get before they search someone’s property |
| due process | a rule that the law must be fairly applied |
| indict | formally accuse |
| double jeopardy | a rule that says a person cannot be tried for the same crime more than once |
| eminent domain | the power of the government to take personal property to benefit the public |
| Preamble | Introduction to the Constitution |
| George Washington | First President of the United States |
| republic | form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizens |
| democracy | rule by the people - people have a say! |
| electoral college | how the President is elected, requires at least 270 electoral votes to win |
| Constitution | the framework for the government of the United States |
