| A | B |
|---|
| The country's first constitution | The Articles of Confederation |
| Weaknesses under the Articles | No president, no ability to tax, No National Court system, States were stronger than National government |
| Land Ordinance of 1785 | Law passed that would physically organize the western territory |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | Law that would determine how the western territory would be governed |
| Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | Set up the Northwest Territory |
| Northwest Territory | 5 states were created, no slavery allowed, required public education |
| Northwest Territory | consisted of present day: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan and Wisconsin |
| British took advantage of our weakness | They would not leave the western frontier |
| Spain took advantage of our weakness | They closed the lower Mississippi River |
| Shay's Rebellion | Showed the country that the Articles of Confederation were not working |
| Baron de Montesquieu | Argued that the only way people could achieve liberty was to separate governmental powers |
| Constitution | Set of basic principles and laws that determine the powers and duties of the government |
| Townships | 36 square miles, divided into 36 sections |
| Suffrage | Another term for the right to vote |
| Republic | Type of government in which the head of state is elected and in which the people hold the political power |
| Tariff | Tax on imports |
| Constitutional Convention | 12 states met to revise the Articles of Confederation |
| Virginia Plan | Called for a Federal government to have 3 brances with representation in the legislature to be based on population |
| New Jersey Plan | Each state would have the same number of representatives |
| Great Compromise | Combined both plans |
| Great Compromise | 3 Branches of Gov't; Exec. Leg. and Judicial, with 2 houses in the Legislative branch |
| House of Representative | Representatives based on population |
| Senate | Each state has 2 Senators |
| 3/5 Compromise | said that the states could use 3/5 of their slaves as population to count towards their representation in Congress |
| Checks and Balances | To keep any one branch of gov't from getting too powerful, the Constitution devised a plan called.... |
| Constitutional Convention took place in | Philadelphia |
| President of the Convention | George Washington |
| James Madison | "Father of the Constitution" |
| Executive Branch | Enforces or executes the laws |
| Legislative Branch | Proposes bills and passes them into laws |
| Judicial Branch | Interprets the laws as to whether they are constitutional or not |
| Federalists | They were for the Constitution as it was written |
| Anti-Federalists | Opposed the Constitution |
| Federalist Papers | 85 essays written to convince people to support the Constitution |
| Official changes | Amendments |
| Bill of Rights | The first 10 amendments to be ratified |
| Federalism | Sharing of powers by the Federal Gov't and the States |
| Delegated Powers | Granted to the Federal Gov't |
| Reserved Powers | Powers retained by the states or by citizens |
| Concurrent Powers | Powers shared by the states |
| Declare War | Delegated to National Gov't |
| Regulating Education | Power reserved by the States |
| Taxing | Shared Power |
| Conducting Diplomacy | Delegated Power to the National Gov't |
| Coin money | Delegated Power to National Gov't |
| Enforce laws | Shared Power |
| Conducting elections | Reserved to the States |
| Regulate inter-state and international trade | Delegated to National Gov't |
| Marriage laws | Reserved to the states |
| Providing for citizens' welfare | Shared power |
| Borrowing money | Shared power |
| Regulate trade within the state | Reserved to the States |
| Apportionment | Distribution of representative |
| Elastic Clause | Allows Congress to stretch its delegated powers |
| Veto | Cancel legislation |
| Executive Order | Non-legislative directive that has the power of a law |
| Cabinet | Advisors to the President |
| Judicial Branch | Series of federal courts headed by the Supreme Court |
| Sandra Day O'Connor | First woman appointed to the Supreme Court |
| Sandra Day O'Connor | Appointed by Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981 |
| Ruth Bader Ginsberg | 2nd woman appointed to Supreme Court |
| Thurgood Marshall | 1st African American to be appointed to Supreme Court in 1957 |
| Clarence Thomas | 2nd African American on the Supreme Court 1991 |
| Bill of Rights | 1st 10 amendments to Constitution |
| 1st Amendment | Protects 5 freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition the gov't |
| 2nd Amendment | The right of an individual to keep and bear arms |
| 3rd Amendment | Protects against housing soldiers in your home in times of peace |
| 4th Amendment | Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures |
| 5th Amenment | Says no one can be put on trial for a serious crime unless a grand jury agrees there is enough evidence, it also protects against being tried twice for the same crime, says you do not have to testify against yourself, also your property cannot be taken from you without due process of law |
| 6th Amendment | You have the right to a prompt and speedy trial and that you have the right to a lawyer |
| 7th Amendment | You have the right to a trial by jury in any case involving more than $20 |
| 8th Amendment | Protects you against excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishment |
| 9th Amendment | Says that there are other rights that people have that are not enumerated in the Constitution |
| 10th Amendment | If a power has not been GIVEN to the Fed. Gov't or DENIED to the states, then it is given to the states |
| Naturalization | Process of becomming a U.S. citizen |
| Deport | Send back to country of origin |
| Draft | Requirement of military service |
| Political Action Committees (PACs) | Organizations that collect money to distribute to candidates that support the same issues they do |
| Double Jeopardy | To be tried twice for the same crime |
| Indict | Formally accuse a person |
| Electoral College | The way we elect our president of the U.S. |
| Petition | A request |
| Examples of Checks and Balances | Each branch checks the other 2 branches in various ways |
| Impeching a president | Leg. Branch checks Exec. branch |
| May veto bills | Exec. branch checks Leg. branch |
| Rejects appointments | Leg. Branch Checks Exec. branch |
| Declares laws unconstitutional | Jud. Branch checks Leg. branch |
| Declares Exec. actions unconstitutional | Jud. Branch checks Exec. branch |
| Appoints Judges | Exec. Branch checks Jud. Branch |
| Reject appointments to Supreme Court | Leg. branch checks Jud. Branch |
