| A | B |
|---|
| republic | government in which the people representatives to run the country |
| Articles of Confederation | nation's first constitution |
| Daniel Shays | farmer who led a rebellion against the government |
| federal system | divides the authority to govern between three branches |
| legislative branch | makes laws |
| executive branch | carries out the laws |
| judicial branch | settles differences about the meanings of laws |
| compromise | agreement in which both sides give up something |
| Great Compromise | set up two houses of congress |
| number of states that had to ratify the Constitution before it could become law | nine |
| ratify | agree |
| Bill of Rights | first ten amendments |
| Jefferson | missed the Constitutional Convention because he was in Paris |
| Land Ordinance of 1785 | set up a system of surveying and selling the Northwest territory |
| thirteen | number of states that had to ratify the Articles of Confederation before they could take effect |
| were outlawed in the Northwest territory by the Northwest Ordinance | slaves |
| reason that the Articles of Confederation were so weak | Americans feared strong governments due to their exerience with Great Britain |
| number of branches of gov't under the Articles | one (legislative) |
| Northwest Ordinance | provided a procedure for admitting new states |
| major power that the gov't under the Articles did not have | power to tax |
| reason that farmers were losing thier farms | inability to pay taxes |
| Philadelphia | city where Constitutional Convention was held |
| officially elects the president | electoral college |
| checks and balances | constituional safeguards which prevent one branch from becoming too powerful |
| states | powers not not belonging to the federal gov't belong to these |
| Preamble | where the six goals of government are found |
| Anti-Federalists | people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution |
| Three-fifths Compromise | settled the dispute of whether slaves would count as population |
| Congress can never tax these | exports |
