| A | B |
|---|
| John Locke | English philosopher who wrote that all people have natural rights |
| Preamble | first paragraph of the Constitution |
| federalism | divides power between the national government and the states |
| Separation of Powers | this divides power between three branches so that no one branch gets too powerful |
| Mercantilism | Economic theory that said the colonies must benefit the mother country |
| Writs of Assistance | Americans did not consider these valid search warrants |
| republican government | When the people elect representatives to speak for them in the government |
| natural rights | right to life, liberty, and property |
| Thomas Jefferson | Author of the Declaration of Independence |
| Stamp Act | Placed a tax on many printed articles such as newspapers, legal documents, and pamphlets |
| House of Burgesses | The first elected representative body in America; found in Virginia |
| Montesquieu | Gave us the idea of Separation of Powers |
| Tea Act | Gave the British East India Company an advantage over colonial tea merchants |
| Boston Massacre | British soldiers fired upon colonists and killed seven in 1770 |
| Articles of Confederation | Our first constitution that proved too weak |
| states | Under the Articles of Confederation they had most of the power |
| amendment | a change to the Constitution |
| First Amendment | Guarantees citizens the rights of free speech, free press, free religion, and assembly |
| Fourth Amendment | Protects citizens against illegal searches and seizures |
| ratification | to approve something such as an amendment |
| Alexander Hamilton | He believed the future of this nation would be business and cities |
| Thomas Jefferson | He believed the future of America was in small farms and wanted the states to have the most power |
| Shays' Rebellion | This showed how weak the national government was under the Articles of Confederation |
| Virginia Plan | wanted representation in Congress to be based on population |
| New Jersey Plan | wanted representation in Congress to be equal |
| House of Representatives | in this part of Congress representation is based on population |
| Senate | part of Congress that has equal representation |
| Preamble | the part of the Constitution that lists the goals of government |
| Greeks | they gave us the idea of democracy |
| Romans | they gave us the idea of republican government |
| Federalists | They wanted the new Constitution because they wanted a strong national government |
| Anti-Federalists | wanted a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution |
| Northwest Ordinance | created an orderly way to add new territories and states |
| Land Act of 1785 | divided the Northwest Territory into townships and sections |
| Social Contract | Locke's idea that the government has a duty to protect people's natural rights |
| the people | according to Jefferson and Locke this is the source of a government's power |
| Electoral College | what really elects our president |
| Intolerable Acts | punished Boston for the Tea Party; closed Boston harbor |
| Declaration of Grievances | argued against the Stamp Act by saying no taxation without representation |
| boycotts | refusing to buy goods; used to get repeal of the Stamp Act and Townshed Acts |
| constitution | a written plan of government |
| Thomas Paine | wrote Common Sense; said America should have independence |
| exclusive powers | these belong only to the national government |
| reserved powers | these belong only to the states |
| concurrent powers | powers shared by both the states and the national government |
| Legislative Branch | their main job is to make the laws |
| Executive Branch | enforces the laws |
| Judicial Branch | interprets or explains the laws |
| Whiskey Rebellion | showed that the new national government was strong and could enforce laws |
| Federalists Papers | written to convince New Yorkers to adopt the new Constitution |
| Federalist Party | led by Hamilton; wanted a strong national government |
| Democrat-Republican Party | led by Jefferson; wanted states to have the most power |
| National Bank | the argument over this led to the creation of our first political parties |
